Southland Iranians join protest over presidential vote
Protesters in Irvine gather to voice their objections to the June 12 re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. On Wednesday, hundreds of expatriates in the L.A. area, home to one of the largest Iranian American communities in the U.S., gathered at major intersections in Westwood and Irvine to protest the violent crackdown on those in Iran challenging Ahmadinejad’s reelection. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Protesters take to the streets near Jamboree Road and Barranca Parkway in Irvine. Iranian students and exiles in the U.S. are flooding Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and their e-mail distribution lists with footage of bloodied protesters and other snippets gleaned from friends and relatives back home. And they are serving as conduits for information among supporters of Iran’s presidential challenger, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, who cannot reach each other through text messaging. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Demonstrators light candles at the Irvine rally, a show of solidarity with protesters in Iran. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Iranian flags are held aloft at Wednesday’s demonstration. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Wednesday’s demonstrations were the latest in a string of local protests, which have brought together a cross-section of the expat community. There were young students wearing opposition green, many of them with their faces covered and holding up posters demanding: “Where is my vote?” And there were aging supporters of Iran’s deposed shah, flying the pre-Islamic Revolution Iranian flag. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Candles illuminate the faces of Iranian expatriates protesting violence in Iran following the recent presidential election. (Jake Stevens / Los Angeles Times)