>> ^ElJardinero:
"If anything it serves as a testament to the fact that not every person from Iran is a bomb-strapped nutbag as they are often characterized. "
... iranian suicide bombers?
Where? When?


Exactly. Therein lies the deep misperception that we in the West hold.

In fact, among the Twitter feeds that I've been following of Iranians on the streets of Tehran, many are quite concerned themselves that the Hezbollah mercenaries that Ahmadinejad has hired as riot police will unleash suicide attacks.

>> ^ponceleon:
Man, Iranian "riot police" is kind of gimp... I was thinking about that other video about Koreans not being good airline pilots, at least the Iranians could outsource to Korea for some kickass riot police...


Well Koreans have WAY more practice dealing with rioting mobs though, oddly enough.

Amazing little video and yeah, the Italian threw me for a loop too.

Man, Iranian "riot police" is kind of gimp... I was thinking about that other video about Koreans not being good airline pilots, at least the Iranians could outsource to Korea for some kickass riot police...

Whatever it is that's going on in Iran, I'm twisted in knots about it. Part of this makes me tearful with hope; when I see hundreds of thousands of students taking to the streets and protesting, I can't help but feel good about seeing a peaceful demonstration being successfully carried off.

So far there has indeed been violence, but most of it is the usual kind of shit that happens when riot police do a stormtrooper imitation -- people get beaten, but not killed.

There have been videos showing a lone policeman firing his weapon into the crowd, and at least one or two reports of people dying, but so far nothing really horrific has happened as far as we know.

God only knows if there's any chance of this making a serious change in the country, but for now I'm both filled with this pernicious hope, and a terrible fear that this will turn very ugly any minute now.

It is in Italian. I assume that's because the guy with the camera was Italian, or an Iranian suddenly possessed by Italian demons. Can anybody translate the Italian (or the demonic)?

>> ^conan:
second i wonder why the commentary was in italian (i suppose).

Your video, Iranian Election: Riot Police Caught by Crowd, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

If you want a war with the cops, you don't get together in a big mob and let them outgun you with riot police, you slit their throats when they're isolated.

The guy filming this was a stupid, braying animal.

If not, call the riot police, there's trouble down on 12th street!

THe jaw dropping on the Asian girls was priceless. The cat-shirt girl was hilarious too though. Oh, and then the man making the Sign of the Cross? Great.

>> ^blackjackshellac:
I know a few people who have been pranked by these guys. It's amazing that there are any Montrealers who still fall for it, and it's pretty funny seeing your friends' on tv like this.


My friend is in one of the vids that I believe is actually on the sift.

It involves riot police.

Alsome.

Looks like Miss Fatty found out the hard way that riot police aren't influenced by "flower power".

Wow!

So that's what riot police are for?

Arresting a bunch of people sitting in a park doing nothing.

Boy, America has come a long ways....

"Wow! I don't think I've ever had my arm grabbed quite that hard."

Don't worry, honey. He was only doing his job....

"Last night at approximately 7:30pm I was arrested as part of a mass arrest at 15th & Court and charged with disrupting a permitted assembly and blocking public streets. A third charge - throwing rocks and missiles - was listed on my pre-printed ticket, but then crossed out.

At the time I was not protesting. I was acting as an observer for the People's Law Project, and was dressed in a button shirt and a neon-green baseball cap stating that I was acting as a representative of the National Lawyers Guild. I followed the protestors out of Civic Center Park, but remained on the sidewalk until pushed by riot police into the street. At no time during the abortive march did any legal observer, or any marcher that I have spoken to, observe any destruction of property, any thrown objects, or ANY ORDER TO DISPERSE BY THE POLICE.

At some point during my visit to Gitmo on the Platte, the compact flash card I had been carrying that contained photographic documentation of the protest disappeared. This included pictures of the badges of some of the officers involved, images of a marcher OBEYING police orders being shot with pepper spray point-blank in the eyes while trying to retreat (when I was hauled away he was sitting with a street medic, and I could hear him sobbing again and again, "I can't see..."), and photographs of a second protestor who was shot three times by what appeared to be three separate officers with bean-bag guns while KNEELING, motionless, 15 FEET AWAY, hands outstretched as if in prayer, and wearing nothing but a pair of POCKETLESS shorts."

-Nathan Acks' experience. Read full story here.

>> ^chilaxe:
On NATO's side, they would certainly ensure Georgia doesn't do anything stupid and stays on the straight path of democratic development.

On the path to democracy?
excerpt from link:
Nov 9, 2007

"That hardly squares with this week's violence—or with 15 days of martial law imposed by Saakashvili yesterday and expected to be ratified by parliament by the end of the week. All demonstrations are banned; all media is under temporary state censorship. The opposition-supporting Imedi TV station was forced off the air as riot police stormed into the channel's buildings late Wednesday night. News Web sites have also been closed."

Lets hope this was just a bump in the road to democracy, I'm skeptic though.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'paris, 1968, revolution, protests, strike, students revolt, riot police' to 'paris, france, 1968, revolution, protests, strike, student revolt, riot, police' - edited by kronosposeidon

>> ^SDGundamX:
You would think riot police would be training how not to get hit in the head with Molotov cocktails...


If you need training on how to duck when a hard object is thrown at your head; one that's on fire, no less; then you should probably find yourself a nice desk job somewhere.