Iran: “Death to Russia” at Friday Prayer · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Photo from Mehr news site in Iran
At a Friday prayer service today at Tehran University, former president Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani called for the release of the many protesters arrested since the disputed June 12 presidential election where Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner.
Rafsanjani is a firm supporter of Ahmadinejad's main contender Mir Hossein Mousavi. He led the Friday prayer for the first time since the election.
Members of the Iranian opposition movement took part in the prayer, some wearing green, the colour that has come to symbolize Mousavi's movement.
“Death to Russia”
Traditionally at Friday Prayer, people are encouraged to chant “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” but today, they defiantly shouted “Death to Russia”, in referring to opposition accusations that Russia has been involved in training repression forces of the regime.
In the following video, recorded from a short distance of the outdoor gathering, you can hear a male voice over the loudspeaker screaming “Death to America”, “Death to the hypocrites” and “Death to England”, while the crowd roars “Death to Russia!” in response EVERY time.
Saminejad refers [fa] to this incident, and says that new taboos were broken today.
Iraneema tweeted [fa] that protesters burned a Russian flag.
Security forces repressed green-clad protesters at the prayer by launching tear gas at them. After the prayer, protesters chanted “Allaho Akbar” (God is great) and “Down with the dictator”.
Here is a compilation of seven films from today's protest in Tehran:
Bittersweet victory
Iraneema tweeted [fa] that dozens were arrested by security forces today in Tehran.
Hadi Nili tweeted” (in response to @onlymehdi) “Police attacked the prayers! I think Iran is among very few governments who ever attacked to Prayers.”
ABC News correspondent Jim Sciutto tweeted that Rafsanjani's speech was not aired on Iranian state television.
Jomhour says Rafsanjani's speech was beyond expectations and criticized the way protesters were repressed… “Today was another victory for Iranian green movement,” he says.
Mollah Hassani writes [fa] that Rafsanjani was a little bit better than expected. “He did not praise Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, and did not say anything negative about the green movement.”