Iran: 'The result is very very hard to credit'
I feel as if I went to bed in one country and woke up in another.
Yesterday, I saw thousands of Iranians laughing and happy as they queued in the sunshine to vote. Today, thuggish looking secret policemen with walkie-talkies stood on every street corner, while riot police with truncheons roared around the city on motorbikes beating up the same young people who had been dancing in the streets earlier in the week. The air was full of smoke and menace.
Near the headquarters of the Mousavi campaign, a young man ran past us shouting “It’s a coup d’etat”. Our cameraman got out a small camera, and was promptly arrested. A few hours later, as we tried to walk towards a crowd of demonstrators, police shouted at us and threatened anyone who came near. I saw young people throwing stones and being hauled away, and a man with blood running down his cheek.
The opposition believe the regime stole the election. The turn-out was massive, especially in the urban areas, which is where Mr Mousavi, the main opposition candidate, had his support. The results came out suspiciously early, and those from the countryside – Mr Ahmadinejad’s stronghold – came in first, which is strange because it usually takes longer to gather results from remote places. Opinion polls are notoriously unreliable in Iran, but everyone predicted a close result not a landslide where Mr Ahmadinejad gained double the votes of Mr Mousavi. A high turnout means many young people voted – again, they were the bedrock of Mr Mousavi’s campaign. The result is very very hard to credit.
I asked an Iranian acquaintence what he thought.
“Better not to think,” he replied. “Better to shut your eyes and turn off all senses.”
Many Iranians I know want change. Not revolution, but a peaceful evolution towards a freer, more open system. “This was our last chance of changing things peacefully,” said one. “Now we know here’s no way.”
The regime allowed the Mousavi campaign to mobilise people. For 20 days, it relaxed the rules and let people dance in the streets. Now the shutters have come down. Anyone who steps out of line with be beaten. The words the old song by The Who have been echoing through my head: Won’t Get Fooled Again.