By Aditi Anand, Feet in 2 Worlds
As turmoil continued in Iran over last month’s contested presidential election, several hundred people gathered in New York City’s Union Square last Wednesday for a vigil in support of those protesting the vote’s results. The vigil was organized by the NYC arm of Where is My Vote, an Iranian diaspora organization, largely over Facebook and other social media sites.
Participants dressed in green or wearing green armbands lit candles, stood behind large swaths of green fabric and held signs reading, “Where is My Vote?” and “RIP Neda”— the latter in reference to Neda Soltan, whose gruesome death was seen around the world after she was reportedly gunned down by pro-government forces during protests in Tehran.
Many in the crowd chanted “Down with the dictator” in English as well as other slogans in Farsi.
Watch video footage of the vigil:
Where is My Vote is planning several more rallies and vigils around the world in the upcoming weeks.
The organization’s demands, according to a statement on their Web site, are: a new election in Iran, the removal of communication and information blockages (of international phone lines, Web sites, social networks, TV channels), an end to attacks on protesters and the release of political activists and students who have been detained, and permission for reformist candidates to speak to the public freely.
