The American Islamic Congress reports on the key troubles with last week’s anti-government protests in Iran:
CRIME Report sources inside Iran analyzing the events surrounding last Thursday’s protests – the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution – suggest that organizers may have been too crafty. It appears there was a “Trojan Horse” plan to attend the main regime-sponsored rally in Tehran’s Azadi (Freedom) Square. People were supposed to appear inconspicuous in the early stages of the rally to enter the Square without attracting attention from the mass of security officers. During Ahmadinejad’s speech, all the protestors were then supposed to start chanting and turn the square green.
It would have been a major blow to the regime if their plan had worked. But apparently the disguises of the opposition ended up being too good. Protestors had no way to recognize each other as “greens.” “Who would dare to begin chanting anti-regime slogans when you suspect that you’re completely surrounded by the pro-regime crowd?” observes one Iranian. Indeed, many posters on chat forums report seeing many in the crowd stay silent when the regime speakers called for slogans. They suspect these were potential protesters like themselves.
“In any demonstration a few reckless vanguards need to dare to break the silence and trigger the domino of protest,” noted a source. “But when you are too dispersed and suspect you are alone, the cascade doesn’t occur.” So the protestors stayed silent all the way through and became dissolved in the mainstream pro-regime crowd – ironically adding to the crowd’s size! And thus, apparently, the Green Trojan Horse kicked back.