“We believe this: there is a democracy quake in the Middle East. People are looking to destroy the old model of politics.”
- Hamid Shirazi, a Iranian American from Los Angeles area at a local solidarity protest
Photo by killerturnip/Flickr (Creative Commons)
An Iranian flag flown at a 2009 rally in Los Angeles
USC’s Neon Tommy spoke with Shirazi and others during a pro-Green Movement rally on Sunday, one of several organized online to coincide with protests for democratic reforms in Iran. Thousands demonstrated today in the capital city of Tehran. In the wake of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak’s resignation last Friday, pro-democracy protests have spread throughout the Middle East, with protests also in Yemen and Bahrain today.
The massive Egyptian demonstrations were sparked by protests that last month led to the ouster of Tunisia’s autocratic ruler, which in turn has prompted an exodus of migrants.
Supporters of Iran’s pro-democracy movement have been calling for solidarity rallies throughout the United States and at Iranian embassy locations in other countries.
