Tehran's British Embassy firebombed

[cal04]

THE British Embassy in Tehran was attacked with petrol bombs and rocks today as hundreds of Iranian militiamen protested over the bombing of a holy Shiite Muslim shrine in neighbouring Iraq.

About 700 protesters, mainly from the student wing of the official Basij militia, jostled with anti-riot police after lobbing Molotov cocktails and rocks at the gate of the downtown compound.

The chanted slogans included "Death to Britain" and "Shut down the spy den!" About 200 police were on hand for the protest, and quickly extinguished any flames on the walls of the mission.

Another protest earlier in the day had passed off peacefully, but the British embassy in Tehran is a frequent target of protests by regime supporters. Several other European embassies in Teheran have been attacked in recent weeks over the publication in a Danish and other European newspapers of caricatures depicting the Muslim prophet Mohammed.




http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18284257%255E1702,00.html

[AngryAmish]

1. Way to go, Bush

[fedsron2us]

2. This appears to be the national sport in Iran

There were similar attacks in 2004 and 2005 before the Danish Cartoons were published. Indeed similar events have been held from time to time over the past two decades whenever the mullahs have felt threatened. None of these protests are spontaneous displays of anger.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4291436.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3727833.stm

[harlinnchi]

3. Might this be related to the arrest of several British troops, dressed...

...as Arabs, in vehicles containing small arms and explosives? This arrest or detention, which occurred about six months (or so) ago, took in several men appearing as though they intended to plant explosives while maintaining an Arab disguise.

Could these Iranian protesters know or suspect more than we are told here?

[DavidDvorkin]

4. Don't ascribe intelligence to mobs

It's the nature of any mob that it has the collective IQ of an earthworm.

[Terran1212]

6. Mobs and Riots are inherently irrational BUT

They usually have a trigger.

[Solon]

5. You know, that thing is the most disturbing...

Right now, any time I hear of a car bomb going off in Iraq in one area or another, I suspect the British did it, can't help it really, they were caught doing it once, I'm pretty sure they have done it in the past, and will in the future.

[StrafingMoose]

8. Burning the Iranian UK embassy right now

is like shooting yourself in the foot and has absolutely no strategical value. Each time I see these kind of "make Arabs/Middle Easterners look bad" events, I always have in mind the the question, "why does the supposed oppposing forces in Iraq, Iran, etc. always behave in the worst ways they could?" Is it that they're stupid and just don't get it ? Over and over and over and over again, on almost a 3 years timespan ? Is it because they don't realize that blowing up small children isn't the way to go, whatever your cause is? While at the same time, these "not so smart forces" still can find an abundant and everlasting source of fine fine explosives ... :eyes:

I wonder if intelligence advisors to Amhadinnejad actually endorsed that kind of demonstration, if not who can do such thing right under the nose of the authorities in a such, supposed, brutal dictatorship ?

[harlinnchi]

9. Without getting too tin-foilish, as a Conan Doyle/Holmes afficianado,...

...I do kinda think it makes sense to ask 'who benefits'?

[Harper_is_Bush]

7. NAUGHTY LITTLE BOYS!! NT