IRAN: Even more footage, pictures from Ashura protests
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News of chaos and fierce clashes continue to pour from Tehran, with some on the Web describing the city as a war zone. Clouds of black smoke are billowing into the sky in the Iranian capital from tear gas canisters fired by police while tens of thousands of opposition supporters are continuing to clash with riot-clad security forces, allegedly setting afire trash cans and police cars.
Police helicopters continue to circle areas of central Tehran where defiant crowds of protesters have gathered, as seen in this video below.
“People in Tehran [are] saying this is not a Demo. This is uprising!” wrote Omihabibinia on Twitter.
The footage below shows dark smoke rising to the sky as a result of what is thought to be tear-gas canisters being fired by security forces in an attempt to disperse protesters.
Opposition protesters seem to be growing increasingly daring despite the reports of several fatalities and injuries during today’s protests -- though Iranian police deny those reports. In the following footage, a car said to be a police vehicle has been tipped to its side and set ablaze as protesters wearing masks chant “Allah Akbar” (God is great).
In this video, another vehicle is seen burning as protesters chant, “Death to the dictator.”
In this photo, posted on Twitter, a crowd of people marches down the street, some of them wearing green wristbands and some flashing the victory sign, as a pile of rubble burns in the street.
Meanwhile, chants of anti-government slogans continue to be heard throughout many parts of Tehran. In the video below, protesters are shouting a well-known anti-government slogan, which translates to: “Artillery, tanks and Basijis no longer have an effect.”
Police and security forces have been met with fierce resistance by opposition protesters in some areas of the capital. It is said they’ve lost control in certain parts and been pushed away by crowds of protesters.
-- Alexandra Sandels in Beirut