Media Fair, Ahmadinejad’s New Nightmare

The sixteenth annual media fair is entering its sixth day while the daily presence of green movement supporters has become a nightmare for the coup administration and its hardline supporters, who wish the fair to end as soon as possible.

After people attending the fair in its initial days protested state-run outlets such as IRNA and Fars news agencies and Iran and Kayhan newspapers, during the past two days the presence of Mehdi Karoubi and news of possible visits by Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Seyyed Mehdi Khatami aggravated the concerns of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s supporters.

According to eyewitnesses, although Seyyed Mohammad Khatami and Mir-Hossein Mousavi did not visit the media fair, the news of their possible presence attracted large numbers of people to the fair location and triggered the mobilization of Ahmadinejad’s supporters, which observers expect to continue until the fair’s conclusion on October 27 as rumors of the presence of the two popular figures continue to permeate.

Plain-Clothed Forces Attack Karoubi

While Mehdi Karoubi had entered the fair grounds on Friday in the midst of massive popular support, he became the victim of physical attacks and insults orchestrated by plain-clothed forces and some staff members from state-run media outlets.  

Mehdi Karoubi’s son, Hossein Karoubi, told the website Taghyeer, affiliated with the National Trust (Etemad Melli) Party, “At the beginning of Mr. Karoubi’s visit, because of the visit’s spontaneous nature and lack of any prior notice, government forces were shocked and could not tolerate the glorious welcome.”

Mehdi Karoubi’s wife also commented on the role of the fair’s security service in orchestrating the attack on Mehdi Karoubi: “At the end of Mr. Karoubi’s visit, the fair security service suggested that Mr. Karoubi exit from the second level in order to maintain the order.  After his guards accepted the suggestion, people were not allowed to accompany him anymore and only Mr. Karoubi and his guards entered the second floor.  There they were suddenly surrounded by 10 or 20 mobilized attackers.”  

Hossein Karoubi explained, “They began throwing garbage and paper trash at Mr. Karoubi, as a result of which he suffered minor injuries to his forehead.  They also addressed him with very disrespectful insults.  They didn’t stop there, but also spat on him.  They then attacked Mr. Karoubi’s car and broke its windows.”

Attacked Armed with Knife

Mehdi Karoubi’s son also exposed the role of the fair’s security service in coordinating and planning the attack on the reformist Sheikh while yesterday several news website announced the arrest of one individual who sought to stab Karoubi with a knife.

In this connection, Asr-e Iran website quoted an informed source as having said, “On Friday afternoon, while the two groups were chanting slogans against each other, security forces saw an individual who was moving towards Karoubi with a knife, whom they immediately arrested and interrogated at the fair.”

This conservative news website continued to quote the informed source: “The man who was carrying the knife was a staff member of one of the participants in the fair and was present at that media network’s booth throughout the fair.  His release is possible.”  

The news was reported by the website while other websites published photographs depicting several reporters, who work for Principalist media outlets, attacking Mehdi Karoubi.  

In this connection, Advar News website published a photograph of Hassan Rouzitalab, editor of the state-run Iran daily’s political division, as he was attacking Mehdi Karoubi at the media fair.