Iranian Green Movement
The Iranian Green Movement (Persian: جنبش سبز ایران) or Green Wave of Iran (Persian: موج سبز ایران),[1] also referred to as the Persian Awakening or Persian Spring by the western media,[2] refers to a political movement that arose after the June 12, 2009 Iranian presidential election and lasted until early 2010,[3] in which protesters demanded the removal of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from office. Green was initially used as the symbol of Mir Hossein Mousavi's campaign, but after the election it became the symbol of unity and hope for those asking for annulment of what they regarded as a fraudulent election. Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi are recognized as political leaders of the Green Movement.[4] Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri was also mentioned as spiritual leader of the movement.[5]
The Green Movement protests were a major event in Iran's modern political history and observers claimed that these protests were the largest since the Iranian Revolution of 1978–79.[6][7][8] While the protests started out as a peaceful, non-violent movement, hundreds of people were arrested and several died as protests turned more violent in the following months. The movement eventually had trouble with retaining its momentum.
Development of the Green Movement[edit]
The Green Movement spread throughout the nation as a non-violent protest movement, bringing about hope of more democratization. Protests lasted all through the fall of 2009, with big events happening on national holidays. On Quds Day (September 18), the anniversary of the US Embassy takeover (November 4), National Students Day (December 7th) and the day of Grand Ayatollah Montazeri's death (December 19) there were turnouts of thousands of people.[65] On the holy day of Ashura (December 7), the protests turned more violent as hundreds of thousands took to the streets once again, the highest turnout since June, and clashed with state security forces. Hundreds of people were arrested and at least 15 people died.[66] Among them was the 35 year-old nephew of Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Seyed Ali Mousavi.
Within a year, the Green Movement had trouble with retaining its relevance. The number of public demonstrations started to decrease because of the harsh reactions by the state.[65] Security forces attacked protesters in the streets and imprisoned activists as well as politicians.[67] Mousavi and Karroubi were placed under house arrest in 2010, which created even more difficulties for the Green Movement to stay organized.[68]
Access to the Internet and social media as well as the possibility to send text messages was regularly restricted by the government, making it difficult for further protests to materialize.[67] The movement later became less confrontational in an effort to influence the next presidential elections and several groups linked to the Green Movement supported the campaign of Hassan Rouhani in 2014. Following his victory, slogans and symbols that emerged during the protests in 2009 were used again by his supporters.[68]
Iran national football team[edit]
During Iran's final game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South Korea in Seoul on 17 June 2009, seven members of the team, Javad Nekounam, Ali Karimi, Hossein Kaebi, Masoud Shojaei, Mohammad Nosrati, Vahid Hashemian, and captain Mehdi Mahdavikia allegedly wore green wristbands in support of the Iranian Green Movement during the 2009 Iranian election protests. However green was one of the colors of their uniform, which also had green shirt logos. Initially it was reported that all seven players were banned for life by the Iranian Football Federation, but state-run media claimed that all seven had "retired".[72] On 24 June 2009, FIFA wrote to Iran's Football Federation asking for clarification on the situation. The Iranian Football Federation replied that no disciplinary action has been taken against any player.[73] As of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, several of the above-mentioned players have played again for the national team, notably Javad Nekounam, Masoud Shojaei, and Mehdi Mahdavikia.