Iranian bus drivers tried to start a strike on Saturday for better work conditions and liberation of their syndicate leader [1]. A one event blog, Otobos1 (Otobos means bus in Persian), was launched by supporter(s) of bus syndicate to cover strike news . Otobos1 (Persian) asked others including Iranian bloggers to support strike and inform people about what is going on [2]. According to Otobos1(Persian), security forces arrested hundreds of bus drivers and workers and several of them were beaten and forced go to work [3].Fanous, a collective blog, (Persian) says that students who backed this movement have been asked to be present in front of discipline committee in university [4]. Blogger adds that several workers in prison has started hunger strike. Penlog, an association of bloggers with 200 members, asked them to inform humanitarian organizations such as Amnesty International [5] about repression and ask them to help for liberation of prisoners.
Hoder, Toronto based blogger, has taken a trip to Israel. We read in his blog [6]:
“One thing I have to clarify here is that my focus in this trip is only on Iran and Israel relationship and when I talk about peace, I mean between these two states. As a non-religious Iranian (which means I'm a non-Arab, just in case some people don't know that), my interest, at least in this trip, is not in issues between Arab world and Israel.
What I'm trying to primarily do here is to try to help Israelis and Iranians have a better understanding about one another and contribute to stop the dangerous process of de-humanization that both side are doing”.
Hoder says he has received positive comments from Iranians [7]:
“I'm really surprised by how much my Iranian audience of the Persian blog have been quite supportive about this trip. Over 130 people have commented so far on the post I announced my decision to visit Israel and maybe less than a dozen have been negative”.
There is an article about his trip and Iranian blogs in Haaretz [8]. Lisa Goldman, Blogger, journalist and GV member from Israel, covers Hoder's trip in her blog [9] too.
Some Iranian bloggers have written about Hoder's trip. Mr.Behi, Iran based blogger, considers Hoder's action [10] (in his what's new section) an innovative action. FM Sokhan (Persian), Iran based blogger and journalist, has put Hoder's photoHe adds first of all, Iranian bloggers are not Hoder's party to follow him. Then what Hoder has done for jailed bloggers in his turn? [11]Nikhang (Persian) , Toronto based blogger, considers trip to Israel a very good thing but hoder's personality is the problem.According to him Hoder is changing colour easily and he has not a good reputation [12].
Shaharm Kholdi, UK based blogger, shares Iranian reaction to his 2003 trip to Israel [13]:
“To many of these Iranians in Toronto, I was absolutely clear as to why I was going to Jerusalem, as it was a workshop/course which was to be considered as a full credit, and for which I was to write an essay and be graded accordingly. The trip was funded by the University of Toronto's Political Science Department and the Canadian Friends of Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Foundation in TorontoHowever, and despite this full transparency, the great Iranians of the University of Toronto consider a person who supports a two-state solution, like myself, for the respective conflict, a collaborator and a Zionist. Coupling that with my S'Can-Iranic attitude, perhaps I am the worst kind of political cultural species for many of them”.
One things is sure: When you follow Iranian blogs and bloggers, you never get bored. You have both news and news makers!