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July 1, 2009

Robo-Iran

By Michael Shaw

farmarz 6:300.jpg

After a two day gap in his Iran coverage, Toronto tweeter faramarz posted this shot on his flickr site. His caption:

“…calmly walking away after they break into your home and do as much damage as possible.”

What’s instructive about this photo — besides the tension and robo-intimidation in it — is that it’s necessarily clandestine. Did the photographer dare take this from his or her apartment?

(image: undisclosed. via Faramarz Hashemi)

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  • Julie Kae Sigars

    why is “police” in English on their uniforms? Isn’t this suppose to be Iran?

  • http://www.wvablue.com/ Clem Guttata

    I was wondering the same thing.
    My guess is the lowest cost provider of riot gear / bullet proof (?) vests has an English-language target market. Even if the Iranian government is buying in bulk, they won’t want to go to the extra expense of getting a local language model.
    My second guess is the equipment was bought surplus.
    The typical Iranian has probably seen more than enough American TV to know exactly what the word means affixed to an outfit like that.
    Then again, who knows, maybe its just a picture from a southern California political fund-raiser.

  • http://diggitt.blogspot.com/ Diggitt

    If the locals are wearing black, it must be New York City.

  • http://www.the40yearplan.com/ ken krayeske

    The English language seems to be used consistently in Iran.
    http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/2009/06/beyond-ahamdinejad.html
    http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/2009/06/sticker-shock.html
    I’ve also been somewhat amazed by the images of protestors wearing Ohio State University sweatshirts and other Western ephemera, and other signs saying things like “I want my vote counted” in English, that, combined with the “police” logos, I would think that the photos could be America.
    But then that would mean American citizens actually worked outside of elections to preserve self-government.

  • http://www.doves2day.blogspot.com g

    Chilling.

  • smallerdemon

    I am surprised no one else has commented on how Iran seems to have adopted their Police uniforms from THX-1138.
    http://smallerdemon.com/sdblog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Iran1138.jpg

  • jtfromBC

    Perhaps these outfits were gifts from the USA, away back when …
    “In 1951 Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh was elected prime minister. As prime minister, Mossadegh became enormously popular in Iran after he nationalized Iran’s oil reserves. In response, Britain embargoed Iranian oil and, amidst Cold War fears, invited the United States to join in a plot to depose Mossadegh, and in 1953 President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized Operation Ajax. The operation was successful, and Mossadegh was arrested on 19 August 1953. After Operation Ajax, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s rule became increasingly autocratic. With American support, the Shah was able to rapidly modernize Iranian infrastructure, but he simultaneously crushed all forms of political opposition with his intelligence agency, SAVAK.”
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran

  • yg

    dishes!
    http://tehranbureau.com/voa-allah-akbar/
    in the long run, the proliferation of the sat dish around the world will end doing more for regime change than shock troops or invasion.

  • http://profile.typepad.com/6p010536c493b8970b The Tim Channel

    Wow, that’s some incredibly long-lasting fabric.
    Enjoy.

  • http://profile.typepad.com/6p010536c493b8970b The Tim Channel

    Good catch.
    Enjoy.

  • lytom

    Maybe if the public is stuck on the Iran demonstrations, they will ignore the build up of the troops in Afghanistan.
    Media will do the utmost to keep the eye emotionally wet on Michael Jackson scene and dry and forgotten when it comes to empire’s and allied forces’ assaults on Afghans.
    Hasn’t there been enough of killing done? Isn’t there empire states’ crisis where money dried up for the social, education, and health support for the people while billions keep pouring into wars? Why have the protests died out? There is no change, the war business is thriving!

  • Rewind

    nice one…. also: “CONSUME. BE EFFICIENT. THE BLESSINGS OF THE MASSES ARE UPON YOU……”

  • yg

    finally. looks like mousavi is now calling for a strike:
    http://www.juancole.com/2009/07/mousavi-said-calling-for-general-strike.html
    remember last time, it took over a year to overthrow the shah.

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