Source: MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports
In spite of high expectations for opposition protests on the 31st anniversary of the establishment of the Islamic Republic, the Iranian regime was able to prevent significant demonstrations. The protesters weren’t able to mobilize as they had previously, because the regime “turned the off switch on the internet” and “people were not able to communicate,” according to Karim Sadjadpour. Yet the regime’s attempt to shut down communications mechanisms and bus in counter-demonstrators were still not able to fully stop the opposition.
Some have labeled the small protests a sign of weakness in the ranks of the opposition. Sadjadpour explains that “counting heads is not a good barometer to gauge popular opinion. I am very confident that if the people were allowed to freely assemble we would see as many as 5 million people marching in Tehran and millions of others around the country.” In the initial weeks following the June 12 presidential election, many detractors of the opposition speculated the movement would fizzle out. Yet, despite the draconian measures of the regime, “the amount of people that under the green movement umbrella has only increased.”