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Khomeini heir heckled by Iran regime backers
By Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran
Published: June 42010 15:33 I Last updated: June 4201015:33
Islamic vigilantes loyal to Iran's regime prevented the grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini,
founder of the Islamic republic, from speaking on the 21st anniversary of his death on Friday.
Hassan Khomeini, the 39-year-old grandson of the ayatollah, has become a target of the
regime's allies since he emerged as a prominent supporter of the opposition Green
Movement. He tried to speak at a ceremony on Friday at a shrine dedicated to his
grandfather's memory in southern Tehran.
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The local media reported that 50,000 buses had brought some 750,000 “pilgrims” to attend the
occasion, although television footage suggested that tens of thousands were present.
But supporters of the regime chanted abuse at Mr Khomeini, shouting that the real grandson of
the ayatollah was Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hizbollah, the radical Shia movement in
Lebanon. Other cries included “Death to Moussavi”, a reference to Mir-Hossein Moussavi,
the opposition leader, who won the support of Mr Khomeini in last year's presidential
election.
Mr Khomeini abandoned his planned address, expressing regret that a “few people” in the
crowd were disrupting the ceremony. It is rare for him to be attacked so publicly, although he
has been a target for criticism in the radical media.
Mr Khomeini tacitly supported Mr Moussavi against Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, the president, in
last June's election. He usually declines to attend any event in which the president speaks. He
was absent during Mr Ahmadi-Nejad's address on Friday.
Like many other conservatives, Mr Khomeini tried to distinguish between Mr Ahmadi-Nejad's
government and the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, seeking to be a critic of the
former while loyal to the latter. But Ayatollah Khamenei has expressed his full support for Mr
Ahmadi-Nejad.
On Friday, the supreme leader said that western governments and armed Iranian opposition
groups had all supported the Green Movement, proving “this path is not right”.
The first anniversary of last year's disputed presidential election falls on June 12. The regime LATEST HEADLINES FROM CN
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