This year again Iranian-initiated Jerusalem Day was exploited for strong anti-American, anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic incitement.

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The slogans of the regime…		…and a slogan of the reformists
A "Jew” [wearing a yellow star], riding a donkey decorated with pictures of Presidents Bush and Obama to represent the anti-Semitic claim of Jewish-Zionist control of the American administration. Photographed at a demonstration in Tehran (Fars News Agency, Iran).
		"Not Gaza, not Lebanon, I will give my life for Iran” (From the Peykeiran website).

Overview

1. Every year since 1979 the Iranian regime has marked World Jerusalem Day on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The event, a decision made by the Ayatollah Khomeini and the Iranian government, is intended to show Iran’s support for the Palestinian cause and the "liberation of Jerusalem.”

2. This year the events were held throughout Iran, the Arab-Muslim world (especially in countries with large Shi’ite populations or which are allies of Iran), and in certain London, Paris and Berlin. As usual, the events were exploited for strong anti-American, anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic propaganda, and masses of demonstrators carried signs reading "Death to the United States” and "Death to Israel.” Prominent events took place in Lebanon, orchestrated by Hezbollah, centering on a fiery speech given by Hassan Nasrallah, who called for the destruction of Israel ("the cancerous growth,” "the Zionist entity”) by means of violence and terrorism.

3. Jerusalem Day events in Tehran focused on the anti-Semitic speech given by Iranian President Ahmadinejad. He again claimed that the Holocaust was a fabrication, a "Zionist invention” whose objective was to rob the Palestinians of their land. The "Zionists” were blamed for fomenting war throughout the world, earning Ahmadinejad the condemnation of the United States, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union. On September 20 Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei said that Jerusalem Day clearly called for stop to the spread of the "Zionist cancer” supported by the "forces of arrogance” (the West, particularly the United States).

4. Unlike other years, the reformist camp used the Jerusalem Day events to protest the regime, ignoring the warnings issued by senior figures and the Revolutionary Guards. The camp’s activists, who had previously coordinated their activities with the Internet’s social networks, shouted slogans and raised signs denouncing Ahmadinejad and the regime ("Death to the dictator”). However, special attention was paid to the shouts and slogans stressing the importance of first dealing with Iran’s interests ("Not Gaza, not Lebanon, I will give my life for Iran”). In addition, the regime’s opponents did not hesitate to shout slogans denouncing Russia and China, both of which block effective international activity against the Iranian regime.

5. The regime reacted by arresting demonstrators (human rights websites reported that at least 200 demonstrators had been arrested, while the regime claimed there were only a few dozen). There were reports of clashes between demonstrators and the security forces, the most serious of which was an attempt made by Basij forces (a semi-military force under orders from the Iranian leadership) to attack former President Mohammad Khatami at one of the demonstrations in Tehran. In addition, Iran exploited the reformist participation in the demonstrations and their slogans to tighten the noose around them, claiming that the slogans were "Zionist” and widely divergent from the ideology of Khomeini, who initiated Jerusalem Day.

Jerusalem Day events in Iran

6. The following are photographs from Jerusalem Day events held throughout Iran on September 18:

Tehran

 "Death to America” at a mass demonstration in Tehran
 (Fars News Agency)

The regime tries to show that the people are faithful to the principle of the rule of the guardian jurist,
vali-ye faqih. The signs read "The rule of the guardian jurist – the secret of victory”
(Fars News Agency).

Arak

 
Demonstrators holding signs condemning the United States and Israel
and supporting the Iranian regime (Mehr News Agency).

Zanjan

 
The traditional ceremony of burning the American and Israeli flags

(Fars News Agency).

Ahvaz

 
Demonstrator holding a picture of Hassan Nasrallah.
The sign in the background reads "Death to America” (Fars News Agency).

The sacred city of Qom

 
Left: African students with an anti-Israeli and anti-American poster, one of them holding a yellow
Hezbollah flag. Right: African students in Qom holding a banner denouncing the United States,
Israel and Zionism, and supporting the Iranian regime. The slogans are written in the Hausa language,
spoken in Nigeria, mainly in the north, which is predominantly Muslim. The flag with the green
and white vertical stripes is Nigeria’s. (Fars News Agency).

The focus of Jerusalem Day: the Iranian president’s anti-Semitic speech

7. Iranian President Ahmadinejad gave the keynote speech on Jerusalem Day, and as expected, it was impassioned and anti-Semitic. He again denied the Holocaust, attacked the West for, he claimed, using it as an excuse to establish the State of Israel and rob the Palestinians of their land, defamed Zionism, which he claimed "rules the world” and called for the rejection of President Obama’s peace plan.

 
Ahmadinejad delivers an anti-Semitic speech claiming the
Holocaust was a fiction spread by Jews and Zionists.

8. The following are the main points made relating to Israel, Zionism and the Jewish people:¹

i. Holocaust denial: "Four or five years after the Second World War they [the countries of Europe and the "Zionist network”] suddenly claimed that there had been a Holocaust during the war…[and] that millions of Jews had been burned in the crematoria…They institutionalized two slogans. One was the innocence of the Jews, for which they used sophisticated propaganda and psychological tricks. The second was that the Jews needed their own independent state…I ask if the Holocaust, which you claim took place, was real, why don’t you let [people] research it…But it [the Holocaust] is a great secret…a black box which they don’t let anyone open and examine [because they want] to continue exploiting it as a tool and excuse for the occupation…My dear friends…the excuse used to establish the Zionist regime is a lie and an act of corruption…It is a lie based on a false claim which has no foothold in reality and which cannot be proved…The very fact of the existence of this regime is an insult to the good nature of the human race…They began with the fictional story of the Holocaust, and piled lies on top of it…They claimed that there was anti-Semitism and then the issue of support for the Jews arose [and thanks to that, the State of Israel].”²

Ahmadinejad. The inscription reads "The collapse of the myth of the Holocaust³
(IRNA News Agency).

ii. Zionism is responsible for wars all over the world [a claim often made by anti-Semites]: "If war breaks out in Iraq we believe Zionism incited it, and the same is true for the war in Afghanistan…If there is oppression in Sudan, it is also the work of Zionism…In fact, we believe that the source of all arrogant, exploitive plans is Zionism…The Zionist regime is like a rotting tree in every respect – its roots, trunk and leaves are all rimes, cruelty and corruption against humanity…The Zionists hang on like leeches, and once they dig their claws in they don’t let go…The struggle and firm stance against the Zionist regime is not only a national issue but a religious one as well, faith and Islam are like a humanitarian act…The Zionists are neither Christians nor Jews, they have no religion…Even the Americans and Europeans loathe the Zionists…The condition for getting a key job in Europe and the United States is through a commitment to support the Zionists…”

The reformist camp: "Not Gaza, not Lebanon, I will give my life for Iran”

9. The reformist camp made preparations in advance to use Jerusalem Day for demonstrations against the regime despite the overt warnings it received beforehand. The massive presence of its supporters painted the streets of Iran green until Iranian TV stopped live broadcasts of the processions and made do with pictures unverified which gave witness to the mass participation in solidarity marches.⁴ The reformists used the day to emphasize the importance of dealing with Iranian affairs first and their loyalty to Iran before anything else. Statements like "Iran before Palestine or Lebanon,” which were heard underground for years but almost never made publicly, surfaced and found their way to signs and slogans.

Left: "Not Gaza, not Lebanon, I will give my life for Iran.” The conservative newspaper Kayhan
claimed that the slogan
was devised by the Israeli Foreign Ministry for the supporters of Moussavi.

Right: "Oil money is gone, wasted on Palestine.”⁵

10. In an exceptional occurrence, there were denunciations of Russia and China, which support Iran, and even of Hassan Nasrallah. According to reports, the demonstrators refused to listen to a regime rabble-rouser who tried to incite them to shout "Death to Israel” and "Death to the United States.” They also defiantly shouted "Death to China” and "Death to Russia”⁶ (two countries which block effective international action against the Iranian regime). In addition, the demonstrators took signs given them by the regime which read "Death to Israel” and "Death to the United States,” and changed them to read "Death to Russia,” "Russia shame [on] you,” and "Death to China.”⁷ They also carried a sign reading "Putin, Nasrallah and Chavez, enemies of our country.”⁸

Demonstrators carrying signs with anti-Chinese and anti-Russian slogans, rewritten over

anti-Israeli and anti-American slogans (From the Peykeiran website).

11. The opponents of the regime carries signs in support of Mir Hossein Moussavi and Mahdi Karroubi, and against President Ahmadinejad. According to reports, the following taunt was hurled at him: "Liar, liar, where are the 63%?” [the number of people who purportedly voted for him). There were also cries of "Dictator, dictator [although it was unclear whether the reference was to Ahmadinejad or Khamenei], this is your last warning – the Green people of Iran are ready for a revolt.”⁹ Threats were also directed at Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, who, it has been rumored, is Khamenei’s heir: "Mojtaba, you will die before you inherit the leader’s chair.”¹⁰

 
Demonstrators stamping on pictures of Khomeini and Khamenei (YouTube).
The regime’s response: propaganda attack and the detention of demonstrators

12. The Iranian regime accused the leaders of the reformist camp of working "hand in hand with the Zionists” against the Palestinians and of betraying the sacred values of the Imam Khomeini. Ahmad Tavakkoli, director of the Strategic Majlis Research Center, wrote an open letter to former Iranian President Khatami and former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Moussavi, both heads of the reformist camp. The letter claimed that during Jerusalem Day their supporters had shouted slogans such as "A free and independent Iran,” "Not Gaza, not Lebanon, I will give my life for Iran.” Tavakkoli said he opposed the silence of the two leaders regarding the slogans and that the conduct of the Green Movement was not suitable for the Islamic revolution. He accused the Green Movement of being "supported by foreigners who oppose Islam, Iran, its independence and the independence of the Islamic people around the world.” He asked, "Wouldn’t the Imam Khomeini call this treason?”¹¹

13. At various locations throughout Iran during Jerusalem Day events there were clashes between demonstrators and the Iranian security forces. The most serious was the attempt made by Basij militia forces to attack former president Mohammad Khatami, who came to Tehran to participate in the demonstrations. He was evacuated by his bodyguards. A number of reformist websites reported that the head of the "attack force” was the son of Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of Kayhan, which supports Supreme Leader Khamenei.¹² The event was widely reported on the social networks and a New York Times headline quoted the Iranian site Tabnak.¹³ Other pictures of the event were sent out by the social networks and the local media.¹⁴ As in similar instances in the past, to prevent coordination between the demonstrators the Iranian regime blocked most of the cellular communications, as well as a long list of Internet and email sites.¹⁵

Left: A New York Times picture of the incident which appeared on many Iranian websites.
Right: Former President Mohammed Khatami evacuated by his bodyguards (From the Tabnak website).

14. The regime arrested demonstrators in Tehran, Mashad and other cities. Human rights websites reported there were at least 200 arrests, although official sources reported only a few dozen arrests of "felons and criminals.”¹⁶ The human rights organizations said they feared for the fate of those arrested because of the terrible cases revealed after the elections. In the meantime, the families of some of the arrested demonstrators gathered in front of police stations and staged their own demonstrations in an attempt to receive information about their relatives.¹⁷

Jerusalem Day events outside Iran

Overview

15. As in past years, this year as well Jerusalem Day events were held in other countries in the Arab-Muslim world and in non-Arab countries. The most prominent events in the Arab-Muslim world were held in Lebanon, led as in the past by Hezbollah, and in countries such as Bahrain (where there is a large Shi’ite population), Pakistan and the Gaza Strip (where Jerusalem Day is marked every year by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad). There were also events in London, Berlin and Paris.

Jerusalem Day in the Arab-Muslim world

Lebanon

Hassan Nasrallah’s speech

16. This year as in the past Jerusalem Day in Lebanon was led by Hezbollah. The events were held at Shi’ite centers in Beirut, the Lebanon Valley and south Lebanon. The main ceremony was held on September 18 n the Sayid al-Shuhadaa center in the southern suburb of Beirut, where Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gave a speech broadcast on a giant screen. A ceremony was also held by the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mohammed Rida Shibani during the fast-breaking meal, attended by Naim Qassem, deputy secretary general of Hezbollah, and other senior Hezbollah and Amal figures.

17. Hassan Nasrallah gave an impassioned speech, calling Jerusalem Day "the day of Palestine, all Palestine, from the [Mediterranean] sea to the [Jordan] river.” He again stated that no one had the right to cede one inch of the land of Palestine, to recognize the existence of Israel (which as usual, he referred to as "the cancerous growth”) or to have relations with it. He accused the Jews of plotting against Moses and killing their prophets, and claimed that the Temple was destroyed because of the crimes and corruption of the Israelites. He praised jihad [holy war] and the path of "resistance” [terrorism], and the activities of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the first and second intifadas [the Palestinians’ terrorist campaigns],which he claimed had undermined the foundation of the "Zionist entity” (Radio Nour, September 18, 2009).

Nasrallah’s cheering audience. The pictures on the back wall are of Hezbollah leaders who were killed. Left to right Abbas Moussavi, Ragheb Harb and Imad Moughnieh (Al-Intiqad, September 19, 2009).

Hassan Nasrallah delivering the keynote Jerusalem Day speech at the Sayid Shuhadaa Center (Al-Intiqad website, September 18, 2009).

18. Ceremonies were held in two other locations in Lebanon:

i) In Baalbek there was a procession led by the Hezbollah members of the Lebanese Parliament and other important figures. A speech was given by Muhammad Yazbek, chairman of Hezbollah’s Political Council, who stressed Hezbollah’s determination to "defend” Lebanon (Lebanese News Agency, September 18, 2009).

ii) In south Lebanon a procession was held near Kafr Killa (near the Fatma Gate across from Metulla), attended by at least 1000 people. They formed a human chain several kilometers long along the border. They carried Hezbollah flags and signs bearing pro-Palestinian slogans, shouted slogans calling for the destruction of Israel and its being brought to trial. The traditional ceremony of burning the Israeli flag was also held.

 
Right: Roadside sign with a picture of Khomeini. The inscription reads, "Jerusalem Day, a day of confrontation
between the oppressed and their oppressors – the Imam Khomeini” (Al-Manar TV, September 18, 2009).

 
Jerusalem Day events near Kafr Killa (Al-Manar TV, September 18, 2009).

 
Jerusalem Day events near Kafr Killa. Left: Lebanese and Hezbollah flags opposite Metulla.
Right: A human chain along the border (Al-Manar TV, September 18, 2009).

Syria

19. In Damascus there was a procession attended by several thousand people who marched from the Al-Wassim mosque to the Al-Yarmouk refugee camp. Speeches were given by Ahmed Jibril, the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Headquarters, and the ceremony was attended by representatives of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the PFLP and other Palestinian terrorist organizations (Al-Alam TV, September 18, 2009).

Jerusalem Day events in Damascus (Al-Alam TV, September 18, 2009).

The Palestinian arena

20. The leaders of two Palestinian terrorist organizations, Hamas’ Khaled Mashaal and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Ramadan Abdallah Shalah, participated in Jerusalem Day events in Tehran (Radio Tehran, September 18; Hamas’ PALDF forum, September 19, 2009). Ramadan Abdallah Shalah gave a speech in a mosque in Tehran praising the Iranian people’s support for the Palestinian cause. He said that the "resistance” [i.e., terrorism] was the only path that would liberate Jerusalem and the "Palestinian territories” (Al-Alam TV, September 18, 2009).

21. On September 18 the annual Jerusalem Day rallies were held in the Gaza Strip, organized by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, both supported by Iran. The Hamas spokesmen spoke at length about the so-called "crimes” Israel was committing in Jerusalem and denounced the normalization of relations between Israel and several Arab regimes, which he said should be met by "all possible ways and means.” They also called on the Arab-Muslim world to come to the rescue of Jerusalem by giving financial support to the "resistance” [i.e., the terrorist organizations].

 
Pictures from the Hamas-organized Jerusalem Day events in the Gaza Strip
(Al-Aqsa TV, September 18, 2009).

Bahrain

 
Picture clockwise from the top: A stall selling Hezbollah souvenirs, including flags; a picture of
Hassan Nasrallah and a model of a rocket; and a banner bearing pictures of Khomeini and Khamenei,

with a rocket in the foreground (Hezbollah’s Bint Jbeil website with a link to Jerusalem Day in Bahrain).¹⁸

 
Demonstrators carrying a sign reading "United in refusal to normalize relations with the

Zionist enemy until the liberation [of Palestine] (Hezbollah’s Bint Jbeil website).

A picture of the late Imad Moughnieh, commander of Hezbollah’s military-terrorist wing

killed in Damascus. The inscription praises him and notes "World Jerusalem Day”
(Hezbollah’s Bint Jbeil website).

Pakistan

Demonstrators waving rifles in honor of Jerusalem Day (Fars News Agency)

Demonstrators carrying anti-Israeli signs and yellow Hezbollah flags (Fars News Agency).

Demonstrator with anti-American sign. The pictures on the left are of Hezbollah leader

Hassan Nasrallah and the Iranian leadership (Fars News Agency).

France

The demonstration in Paris

Fars News Agency

YouTube, September 19, 2009

Fars News Agenc

Britain

22. On September 13 a demonstration was held in the center of London, leaving from the Marble Arch and proceeding toward Pall Mall. The demonstrators were Iranians, Lebanese, Iraqis and ultra-Orthodox anti-Zionist Jews from Naturei Karta. They carried signs in support of Iran, Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas, and called for the lifting of the so-called "siege” of the Gaza Strip and boycotts of Israel.¹⁹

Pictures from the rally in London

 

Germany

Berlin

23. On September 12 a Jerusalem Day rally was held in Berlin with Iranian flags and pictures of Khomeini and Khamenei.

Pictures from the rally in Berlin

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¹ http://www.president.ir/fa/?ArtID=17819

² On July 5, 2009, the newspaper Iran said that the Center for Research and Documentation of the President’s office had issued a new book called The Collapse of the Myth of the Holocaust. The book, which contains all the comments made by Ahmadinejad about Palestine, Israel and the Holocaust, has eight chapters about the objectives behind the establishment of Israel, Iran’s commitment to defend "Palestine,” and a chapter devoted to the second Lebanon war and Operation Cast Lead. It was published after the elections in which various candidates criticized Ahmadinejad for the damage he had done to Iran’s foreign policy in denying the Holocaust. The book is another example of Iran’s defiance of the international community, which has denounced its denial of the Holocaust.

³ http://www.irna.ir/View/FullStory/?NewsId=575191

⁴ http://www.cyrusnews.com/news/fa/?mi=9&ni=5049

⁵ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eFi_sCKfLk

⁶ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_meg5DkifnE

⁷ http://www.peykeiran.com/Content.aspx?ID=6819

⁸ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SxetcxKQnA

⁹ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XycnnxNku8

¹⁰ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v37X2TOUpYs

¹¹ http://www.farsnews.net/newstext.php?nn=8806290358

¹² http://parlemannews.ir/?n=3691

¹³ http://www.tabnak.ir/fa/pages/?cid=64850

¹⁴ http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=105603&id=45061919453&l=49f68d6a8d

¹⁵ http://www.mowjcamp.com/article/id/32955

¹⁶ http://www.autnews.mobi/node/2919

¹⁷ http://www.roshangari.net/as/sitedata/20090919194219/20090919194219.html

¹⁸ http://bintjbeil.org/forum

¹⁹ From the Islamic website http://www.aimislam.com/activities/events/1336-al-quds-day-2009.html, September 20, 2009.

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