Brussels, July 04: Hundreds of Iranian opposition
supporters rallied in the European quarter of Brussels on Saturday
calling for a re-run of the contested presidential election
and the release of political prisoners.
At least 500 people -- 1,000 according to organisers --
gathered near the main EU buildings in the Belgian capital,
many carrying placards or photographs showing suspected
election-related unrest.
Some were draped in Iranian flags, while others wore
T-shirts marked "Where Is My Vote?". Banners were marked "Stop
Death and Terror in Iran" or "Revolution is the Only
Solution".
The crowd, from Belgium and neighbouring countries like
Germany and the Netherlands, was drawn together by rights and
student groups and chanted "Freedom, freedom in Iran", and
"Down with the dictators".
A handful of police officers watched from inside a van
around 100 metres away, as a concert of Iranian musicians got
underway.
The rally came amid the biggest unrest in the Islamic
republic since the revolution in 1979, sparked by a June 12
election that returned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power
and which the opposition claims was rigged.
Bureau Report
First Published: Saturday, July 04, 2009, 22:49