CNN: Large crowds gathered in the Iranian capital Friday to march in an annual pro-Palestinian rally, among them thousands of green-clad supporters of the opposition movement, according to CNN sources in Tehran. (CNN) — Large crowds gathered in the Iranian capital Friday to march in an annual pro-Palestinian rally, among them thousands of green-clad supporters of the opposition movement, according to CNN sources in Tehran.
The Quds (Jerusalem) Day rally, in support of the Palestinian people, is observed on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. This year, the rallies were particularly tense, following the unrest over Iran's disputed presidential elections in June.
Opposition supporters near Tehran's Revolution Square chanted anti-regime slogans on one side of the street while regime supporters chanted pro-government slogans on the other side, witnesses told CNN. A line of uniformed police officers stood between them.
Opposition supporters chanted to "death to the dictator," the witnesses said. Many held up the victory sign with their fingers painted green, the color adopted by opposition candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi.
Near Tehran University, where President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad addressed a crowd gathered for Friday prayers, opposition supporters chanted "death to the dictator," witnesses said. Pro-government crowds chanted "death to America" and "death to Israel."
Ahmedinejad won a second term in office in the June 12 elections, which Moussavi's supporters said were fraudulent.
CNN's Reza Sayah in Islamabad, Pakistan, contributed to this report.
