On Monday evening, as Iran’s Guardian Council certified the results of the June 12th presidential elections, people across the country again took to the streets and despite the heavy police and plainclothes agents clearly displayed their opposition to the electoral coup.

In Tehran, the police had lined up in large numbers on Vali Asr avenue that connects the northern part of the city with the south and tried to prevent people from gathering and expressing their rejection of the election result that entrenches Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the presidency for another four years.

As in the past days, government forces disabled all mobile phones around mid day which continued till night. In addition, land telephone lines were also disabled in the city’s districts around Enghelab and Vali Asr circles, both in the center of the capital. This was the first time that land lines too were disabled. Electricity too was cut in a large part of Tehran during the day.

There were other aspects that had turned the capital into a fortress. The police in most parts of the city was escorted by police cars many of which had replaced their glass windows with metal sheets. Similar cars had been used in the past to round up and transfer protestors to prisons.

People in Tehran began to gather in the streets and walk in a chain formation towards Vali Asr avenue. Anti riot police were all over the city and stepped in to disrupt any gatherings. Streets were completely jammed around 5pm and no traffic could pass through the streets and avenues. Those who had walked to the center and southern parts of the city from districts in the north said that no person or cars could move around and government agents too were immobilized along with the regular people. At about five thirty Enghelab circle in the central district of Tehran was the scene of thousands of people who continued to pour in from Vali Asr avenue.

Because of this massive influx, this thoroughfare too was soon blocked completely. Those who had reached Enghelab circle chanted slogans, just as those who had reached Azadi circle, all demonstrating their protests and rejection of the election results. Other major circles in Tehran, such as Vanak and the suburb of Tajrish too were the scenes of similar massive gatherings.

When people came in contact with the police and security forces, they broke up into smaller groups, something that government agents did not expect, and so did not know how to respond to this. They did not know where to take up positions or what to do. Their rapid re-alignment attested to this.

So by unexpectedly concentrating in numerous groups rather than one large mass, protestors effectively denied the police with the initiative they needed. Informed sources attribute the lower number of arrests and injured that took place in this gathering and march to this dispersion into groups.