Demonstration in Support of the Movement of Iranian Students
for Freedom in Iran 6 - 8 PM, July 8th, 2003
(5:30 - 7:30 AM, July 9th, Tehran time)
On the evening of July 8th, many Iranian-Americans along with other
(American) supporters of freedom around the world met in Seattle to demonstrate
support for the student movement in Iran, for a democratic government by,
for, and of the people of Iran. Though it was barely advertised and it threatened rain, the turnout was good and energetic as these pictures show:
It was a lively crowd (you can hear a brief snippet here) and their signs, whether handmade or pre-printed,
told the story:
During the rally the leaders read to the group an eight-page letter to Washington's
Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn, who had expressed sympathy with the plight of
the Iranian people:
Channel 7 sent a crew to film the event -- no doubt many demonstrators saw themselves on camera that night:
But what was perhaps most poignant was the reaction to this sign -- the
real flag of Iran (the Sun and Lion) and the text saying "Freedom!"
in Farsi. Those who received those signs held them out proudly throughout
the entire demonstration.
(Note: Due to concerns about the security of demonstrators'
family members still in Iran, all faces in these photos have been altered
or otherwise masked.)
