Laborers at a May Day Rally in Iran Turn the Tables Against Mullahs

Since 05-03-06

BY RAMIN TALAIE - Special to the Sun

May 2, 2006

http://www.nysun.com/pf.php?id=31975

TEHRAN, Iran - A spontaneous protest by jobless Iranians in Tehran yesterday portends future civil strife for the clerical regime that is fending off Western diplomatic solidarity against its advanced nuclear program.

Against the backdrop of the former American Embassy in Tehran, where American diplomats were first taken hostage in 1979, labor unions gathered for the traditional May 1 demonstrations.

But instead of directing their chants and banners against America, "the Great Satan," the workers made their target the regime that coined the phrase. At issue was a simmering strike of bus drivers, many of whom have not been paid in months.

The demonstrations come as other cracks in the regime are beginning to form. Secular author and opposition activist Amir Abbas Fakhravar on April 29 successfully escaped from Iran and is heading for America. A spokesman for the Iranian referendum movement - which seeks a plebiscite on Iran's constitution - said yesterday that Mr. Fakhravar intended to travel to America without delay.

"How his refugee application is treated will affect the morale of others seeking moral support from the world," Pooya Dayanim said yesterday. "His security situation is very bad. He needs to leave the environment and come to the United States as soon as possible."

Reform Web sites are now reporting that the mullahs, anxious at growing dissent among younger Iranians, have redoubled their efforts to jam broadcasts into the country, a possible counter to the State Department's plan to spend at least $50 million on programming beamed into Iran.

Meanwhile, the members of the five nations that hold permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council are set to meet today in Paris to discuss next steps regarding Iran's refusal to suspend enrichment of uranium.

The scene yesterday in Tehran featured middle-aged men with days-old beard, dressed in modest clothing jumping off to eagerly pick up banners and move toward the stage. A few hundred women wearing green paper hats to shade the warm morning sun over their dark hijabs marched on the opposite side of the street.

Each labor group carried signs proudly indicating their trade. While some large banners congratulated the Iranian scientists in their accomplishment of enriching uranium, the gathered crowd seemed to become restless when a member of the Majlis began his address.

Instead of applauding the lines of the speaker, the crowd began chanting slogans demanding the resignation of the labor minister, shouting, "Shame on you for not doing anything for us." A hand-written sign brought to the rally read, "I have not been paid in 14 months," signed by a man from the city of Kashan. Other signs appealed for labor laws to be reformed.

Despite the highest prices in decades for Iran's chief export, petroleum, the Iranian economy is grim for most workers. One survey from 2004 estimates the unemployment rate to be slightly over 11%, other surveys suggest the number is as high as 16%.

According to the Middle Eastern Economic Survey in 2004, about 34% of those between the ages of 15-24 are jobless.

As the heat of the midday sun began pounding harder, the crowd started growing restless with each new speaker. More men began pushing their way toward the stage. A heavyset man with a leathery face and thick mustache finally broke the security barriers and climbed his way over, prompting the organizers to call off the rally. The men on the streets then began shouting, "Forget about Palestine, think about us." Iran's foreign ministry last month announced it would donate $50 million to the Hamas led Palestinian Authority. Others in the crowd began chanting, "Strike is our right" and started threatening the riot police. A small unit of Basij - a paramilitary group loosely organized by extreme conservatives - security men began clearing the stage. The Basij men ordered everyone off and took one person who seemed to fight back with them. An estimate from one opposition group yesterday said that overall 12 leaders of the counter-demonstration were arrested.

As the Basij security forces took one man away, they were followed by demonstrators. The chanting became more intense as the crowd shouted, "Look at France then do something for us." Other demonstrators beat their heads while chanting, "Today is a mourning day for laborers."

A 60-year-old man at the demonstration who described himself as a "Janbaz," a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war, said he traveled to the demonstration yesterday from Qazvin, a city about 300 miles west of Tehran. He said he had been working for various factories trying to provide a simple living for his family.

When asked whether his photograph could be taken, he smirked and said, "Take as many pictures as you want ... but they will not let any of these to be published." He was correct in one sense. None of the state-run TV stations mentioned anything about the riot at the May Day rally. In fact, one of the stations ran an interview with the labor minister whose resignation was demanded by these very workers.