A group of local people with connections to Iran will hold a rally Saturday at Fountain Square to show support for the dissidents protesting the recent Iranian presidential election.
The rally is scheduled from 4-5:30 p.m.—-
Area resident Ahoo Tabatabai and other Iranian natives are organizing the demonstration, which is open to the public. Organizers are urging participants to wear black with a green ribbon to show respect for protestors who have lost their lives. Also, they ask that each attendee bring a white flower, if possible, for a vigil that will be held at the rally’s end.
Hand-held signs, photos and banners are allowed at the rally, but no flags. Attendees can print any message on their signs that they wish, as long as they are related to the topics of Iranian freedom movement, democracy, solidarity or human rights.
Additionally, organizers don’t have permission to show exhibits or erect structures on the square.
In a prepared statement, organizers wrote, “Many of our own friends and relatives are bravely marching on the streets, and we feel a duty to support them by keeping up the momentum and continuing to raise awareness of these important events in Iran.”
They used a quote from Saadi, a 13th century Persian poet, to describe the event’s spirit: “Human beings are members of a whole, in creation of one essence and soul. If one member is afflicted with pain, other members uneasy will remain. If you have no sympathy for human pain, the name of human you cannot retain.”
