Green over Tehran

small green balloon.jpg

Note: For more on our work related to Iran, see the Enough Fear campaign. We're also collecting messages for Iranians at www.flickr.com/groups/messagestoiranians.

Much has been made of the use of the internet by Iranians in the past few weeks, but while Twitter is a great tool for spreading information quietly, other forms of protest are being used to show solidarity in the public sphere. Crackdowns on street protests have made gathering common spaces a dangerous and sometimes deadly tactic, so Iranians started gathering on rooftops and shouting and singing into the night. This same tactic was used 30 years ago when Iranians overthrew the Shah.

Protesting from the roof has proven dangerous as the Basijis have fired at rooftops and knocking in doors of buildings where they believe the shouting is coming from.

Faced with increasing repression, Iranians found another way: on Friday, June 26th, Iranians began releasing green balloons. Many are home-made, some bear writing and tributes to people who have been killed in Iran during the brutal crackdown that has occurred since the election a little more than two weeks ago. 

This new tactic is an example of how people facing repression will find new, creative ways to speak out, using low and high tech solutions. Twitter can help spread such ideas, but it is the act of taking them into the streets, the rooftops, and now the skies that bring the Iranian people together. Action taken together in public strengthens communities, and strong communities are the thing that authoritarian governments fear most. 

Thanks to Dan Nolan for the tip.