France 24, March 17, 2010 – The Iranian authorities did everything they could to stop a fire festival from turning into an anti-government demonstration on Tuesday night. Despite their best efforts, some festival goers in Tehran managed to transform the event into a political protest.
The Iranian festival of Charshanbe Soori is an ancient pagan festival that ushers in the Persian new year (which takes place 21 March). It is denounced by the authorities as non-Islamic and dangerous, but remains popular 31 years into the Islamic republic. This year, the government has worked particularly hard to quell the festivities, which come ten months into mass anti-government protests that often target public ceremonies.
Police officers and Basij militiamen were deployed on major streets and squares in the capital, while the state TV station tried to coax people into staying at home with a string of Hollywood blockbusters.