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Protests keep heat on Iran leaders
From CNN's Kasra Naji
TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Thousands of Iranian motorists jammed the streets of Tehran in the eighth consecutive night of protests against the Islamic government, as clashes were reported elsewhere between pro-clerical militants and anti-government demonstrators. Tehran residents drove around university campuses, sounding their horns and causing traffic jams in a campaign of civil disobedience. Security forces, which have been stationed in large numbers around the capital, stood on the sidelines for the most part, though some members of the police were seen spraying red paint on the windshields of cars whose horns were blaring. There were no signs, however, of student protests, the focus of violent anti-government demonstrations of the past week in which students called for the clerical government to step down. Instead of demonstrating Tuesday, students on at least two campuses in Tehran held meetings protesting the violent treatment they have received in past days at the hands of knife-wielding Islamic vigilantes, who broke up their demonstrations and attacked their dormitories. The students also addressed the issue of the government plan to privatize some universities, the issue that triggered the weeklong protests. It was not clear whether the protests Tuesday night were linked in any way to a statement made by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. "Our policy is to encourage people to demonstrate for their views," Powell said when asked about Iranian charges that the United States was fomenting the protests. President George W. Bush lent his support to the anti-government demonstrations in Iran in comments Sunday. That drew an angry protest from the Iranian government, which accused Washington of interfering in Iran's internal affairs. Iranian authorities have also accused the United States of launching "a psychological war" against Iran. "We are not out there inside Iran fomenting them ... But if people wish to demonstrate peacefully and demonstrate for their right for a better life, that seems to us to be a proper thing to do," Powell said. Iranian authorities have said demonstrations of the past week have been carried out but by "hooligans and counter-revolutionaries," not by students. As violence seemed to have ended in Tehran, there were reports of unrest in other Iranian towns and cities Tuesday night. In Gohardasht, 25 miles west of the capital, anti-riot police and militants attacked about 700 demonstrators, according to a witness quoted by The Associated Press. "Fierce clashes are going on here. Around 400 anti-riot police and vigilantes are beating up protesters and taking them away in buses," the AP witness said on condition of anonymity. AP also reported that 300 people demonstrated in an eastern neighborhood of Tehran Tuesday night, but that they dispersed after anti-riot police and militants gathered there. Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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