Hassan Khomeini speech drowned by pro-Ahamdinejad crowd

Hassan Khomeini

Pro-government forces impeded Hassan Khomeini from giving a speech during the ceremony marking the anniversary of the passing of his grandfather, the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini.

In a live news report on Iranian State television, a pro-government crowd interrupted Hassan Khomeini as he was about talk at the tomb of his grandfather by chanting slogans against the opposition.

Hassan Khomeini’s appeal to let him finish his speech went unheeded and the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic then urged the crowd to express their sentiments during the sermons of Ayatollah Khamenei, who was scheduled to talk later in the event.

Fars State News Agency commented that the interrupting chants of the crowd during Hassan Khomeini’s speech were due to the fact that the grandson of the late Ayatollah Khomeini “has been silent against the actions of seditious elements which have been contrary to the ideals of the late Imam.”

Jaras reformist website reported yesterday that the family of Ayatollah Khomeini was under pressure by military and semi-military forces in preparation for today’s ceremonies.

The annual three-day event was reduced to one day this year to avoid letting the opposition take advantage of their historical connections with the founder of the Islamic Republic regime and the recent support of his family for reformists.

Hassan Khomeini, who has aligned himself with the protests against the alleged electoral fraud in June’s presidential elections by avoiding the inauguration ceremony of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last year, has been impeded by the government from holding the yearly ceremonies at the tomb of the late Ayatollah Khomeini and has become the target of fierce hardliner attacks.