11 September 2001>News Stories> On anniversary of revolution, millions of Iranians march

On anniversary of revolution, millions of Iranians march Neil MacFarquhar . NY Times . 12 february 2002 TEHRAN Millions of Iranians streamed through city streets nationwide Monday, marking the 23d anniversary of the Islamic Revolution with a massive pep rally to express their antipathy for President George W. Bush labeling them part of an "axis of evil." . Cries of "Death to America" erupted repeatedly from the orderly marchers carrying a variety of signs, including one in English quoting the late revolutionary patriarch, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, saying, "The U.S. cannot do a damn thing." . In Tehran, President Mohammed Khatami addressed the throng clogging all the broad avenues leading to Freedom Square with its signature march. He lived up to his reputation as a moderate by focusing slightly more attention on strengthening democracy and rooting out corruption than on his mild rebuke of Washington's threatening attitude toward Iran. . "This threat originates from the fact that America, or at least some of its officials, see themselves as masters of the world," he said. "Since they have power, they want to force the world to obey them and exert pressure on countries that disobey. Your revolution threatened America's illegitimate interests in the region, so it is obvious that you are the target of its animosity." . Mr. Bush singled out Iran for attempting to develop weapons of mass destruction and for its supports for groups such as Hezbollah that the United States labels terrorists. In addition, Washington has recently accused Iran of sending weapons to the Palestinians, of trying to undermine the effort to build a stable central government in Afghanistan and of aiding Al Qaeda members to escape. . Mr. Khatami suggested the United States review its own foreign policy rather than cast aspersions. He specifically spoke of a lack of human rights afforded Palestinians because of U.S. support for Israel. . "The American people should ask today how much of the awful and terrifying incidents of Sept. 11 were due to terrorist acts, and how much of it was due to the foreign policy adopted by American officials," the Iranian president said. . The threats expressed by Mr. Bush and other U.S. officials over the past two weeks surprised many in Iran, with the implication of an attack quieting some of the constant jockeying between the revolutionary old guard and reformists. . "Any time we face international problems, democracy stops," said Ali Reza Haghighi, a political science professor. "Now all the discourse must be against the Americans." . Yet amid calls for unity, even Mr. Khatami's speech suggested that the reformists' differences with their rivals had not been forgotten. . "Some people must not object that we are talking so much about democracy, religious democracy," he said. "The stress on democracy is the soul of the Islamic revolution." . Mr. Khatami's supporters had envisioned the efforts to rebuild Afghanistan as a kind of side door to re-establishing ties with Washington, while hard-liners were alarmed at the prospect. So Mr. Bush's remarks dismayed the reformists and left the old guard gleeful that the U.S. attitude toward Tehran remained unchanged, no matter that Iran aided in toppling the Taliban. . The reformists, while criticizing the United States, also implied that shadowy groups within the Iranian government were carrying out the dubious activities indicated by Washington. . Some analysts believe the Iranians are unsettled about how to react to Washington and fearful about being left out of the reconstruction effort next door. The issue of Afghanistan was barely mentioned at the rally. . "The Taliban were a major bête noire," said a Western diplomat. "But now they see a U.S. colony with bases developing in their back yard and they don't know how to handle it." . The size of the crowd was impossible to estimate authoritatively, but the wide avenues and highways leading to Freedom Square in Tehran were all packed. Iranian television showed pictures of jammed streets in every city. Marchers said they were more galvanized than in years past due to the feeling that they had been maligned by Bush. . The calls to attend did not move everyone. In affluent north Tehran, where one occasionally hears support for the idea that Bush should carry through with his threat to bomb, cars laden with skis headed out of town toward the slopes in the balmy springlike weather. . On Imam Khomeini Square in the city center, a couple of dozen day laborers with their paintbrushes and buckets lined the road, hoping someone would hire them for $5. "Why should I go to the rally when I need to earn money?" said one. . And after 23 years, there were indications that the revolution might be mellowing. A sense of brooding menace often pervaded past marches, but this one felt more like a carnival. There was even a gold coin on offer for the best Uncle Sam effigy. . A yellow banner painted with giant letters in Persian was stretched across one overpass. In the early days of the Islamic Republic it would have been automatically translated as "America is the Greatest Satan." But Monday the lettering helpfully included its own English translation, reading, "America is Extremely Naughty."