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'Tear gas' at Iran protest rally 'Tear gas' at Iran protest rally
(42 minutes later)
Iranian police have clashed with opposition supporters in central Tehran, witnesses say.Iranian police have clashed with opposition supporters in central Tehran, witnesses say.
Police used batons and tear gas, according to the witnesses. The reports could not immediately be verified because of a foreign media ban.Police used batons and tear gas, according to the witnesses. The reports could not immediately be verified because of a foreign media ban.
The reported clashes came as Iranians prepared to hold an annual rally to mark the killing of students in 1953. The reported clashes came as Iran was to hold an annual commemoration for the killing of students in 1953.
Earlier, hundreds of Iranian police were reported to have surrounded Tehran University to try to block protests.Earlier, hundreds of Iranian police were reported to have surrounded Tehran University to try to block protests.
Iranian security forces, including the elite Revolutionary Guards, had warned that they would step in to prevent any attempt to use the event to stage opposition protests.Iranian security forces, including the elite Revolutionary Guards, had warned that they would step in to prevent any attempt to use the event to stage opposition protests.
Iran has cracked down hard on protests by opposition supporters following a disputed election in June. They have cracked down hard on protests by opposition supporters following a disputed election in June.
After the election the chants were only about people getting their votes back, but now it is more about the system and leaders themselves Opposition chants invert old slogansAfter the election the chants were only about people getting their votes back, but now it is more about the system and leaders themselves Opposition chants invert old slogans
Opponents of the Iranian government have taken to using officially sanctioned demonstrations to turn out in big numbers and publicise their message.Opponents of the Iranian government have taken to using officially sanctioned demonstrations to turn out in big numbers and publicise their message.
On Sunday former presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, who has become a leader for opponents to the regime, questioned whether the ban would succeed in preventing such demonstrations. On Monday, clashes were reported in Vali Asr Square. One witness said that police had fired tear gas at protesters there who were chanting "Death to the Dictator", and "Do not be scared - we are all together".
The annual Students Day event commemorates the death of students during an anti-American protest in 1953. Authorities shut down mobile phone networks in central Tehran to block opposition supporters from communicating with each other, according to an opposition website.
Before the rally, Tehran residents said that they had been unable to use e-mail and that opposition websites were being more tightly restricted than before. In the days before the rally, Tehran residents said that they had been unable to use e-mail and that opposition websites were being more tightly restricted than before.
As restrictions have increased, activists have moved away from new media, using leaflets, CDs and word of mouth instead, BBC Tehran correspondent John Leyne reports from Istanbul, where he has been meeting opposition supporters.
On Sunday former presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, who emerged as a leader for reformist opponents to the regime, warned that authorities were "fighting with shadows in the streets" and that the protest movement was still alive.
"If you silence all the universities, what can you do with the situation of the society?" he asked in a statement posted on his website.
The annual Students Day event on Monday commemorates the death of students during an anti-American protest in 1953.
Thousands have been arrested and dozens killed this year after the disputed election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad led to the largest street protests since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.Thousands have been arrested and dozens killed this year after the disputed election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad led to the largest street protests since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Are you in Iran? Have you seen the demonstrations? Send us your views using the form below:Are you in Iran? Have you seen the demonstrations? Send us your views using the form below:
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