Iran police fire tear gas at opposition rally in Tehran
Iranian police have fired tear gas at opposition demonstrators gathering in central Tehran in support of the protests in Egypt.
A BBC producer in the Iranian capital, who was affected by the gas, described central Tehran as “total chaos”.
He said “severe clashes” were taking place between protesters and police and there had been many arrests.
Iranian police have placed opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi under house arrest, his official website says.
Violence marks fourth day of Yemeni protests against president
Thousands of protesters gathered at Yemen’s Sanaa University for the fourth day, demanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh step down, clashed with pro-government demonstrators who hurled stones and wielded clubs.
Protesters chanted “Down, down with Ali, long live Yemen” as police formed a human shield to keep crowds from spreading. Members of the Lawyers Syndicate joined the protest for the first time, calling “the people want the fall of the regime.” Dozens of pro-government demonstrators earlier pressed for dialogue between the government and opposition parties.
Tens of thousands of Yemenis, inspired by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, have rallied in recent weeks, demanding Saleh’s immediate resignation after 32 years in power. Saleh said on Feb. 2 he won’t seek to extend his term when it expires in 2013 and that his son would not succeed him as president.
Clashes in Bahrain before planned protest rally
Bahrain’s security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets Monday at thousands of anti-government protesters heeding calls to unite in a major rally and bring the Arab reform wave to the Gulf for the first time.
The punishing tactics by authorities underscored the sharply rising tensions in the tiny island kingdom — a strategic Western ally and home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.
Riot police — some firing bird shot pellets — moved against marchers in various sites to prevent a mass gathering in the capital, Manama, that organizers intended as an homage to Egypt’s Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the popular revolt that drove Hosni Mubarak from power.
Bahrain’s protesters, however, claim they do not seek to overthrow the ruling monarchy but want greater political freedoms and sweeping changes in how the country is run.
Time is proving that these authoritarian regimes are out of step with their citizens, as it also points out the the U.S. itself needs to overhaul the way it thinks and acts towards the Arab peoples of the M.E. This should also be a wake up call for the politicians to what corruption wields, though I doubt that they are listening/watching. The status quo is falling, and like dominoes, so are the despots & their cronies.
Iran police fire teargas at demonstrators, Israeli army fire teargas at peaceful demonstrators against the apartheid wall and kill constantly Palestinians, Algerian police fire tear gas at demonstrators etc… all powers are the same and become criminals for the people. We saw in Seattle teargas against the G8 demonstrators, in Italy one person was killed by the police in a demonstration against the G8. So what? Intifada for all of us against the global conspiration of men and women in power. We do not seem to be ready for the Tahrir Square in our towns.
Yes, I was wondering when the West will catch up to the Arabs. It seems suddenly we are the ones living in an era that belongs in centuries past. America has regressed to a 19th Century Empire, the Arab world is waking up to the post Cold War era. Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose