Andrew Sullivan examines this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou8AicDaZb8 where at the 3 minute mark you see what is thought to be a Basij take off his gear/helmet to join a cheering crowd.
There seems to be a group of Basij that in witnessing the alleged defect begin to shout “Boroh Gomshoh!” (Get lost!) at which the crowds of people burst into “Natarseen! Natarseen! Ma Hameh Ba Ham Hasteem!” (Don’t be afraid! We are all together!)
U4I Comment: Whatever happened, whether it was a defection or not, the comment in Andrew Sullivan’s piece about the masks is incorrect. In June, almost no one wore a mask. Protesters went out in great numbers with their faces on display. After the regime started using photographs posted on the Internet to identify protesters and arrest them, masks were used more and more. In addition, most responsible Internet sites and individuals began only using photos where faces were not apparent and many in Iran began to take videos of the backs or legs of other protesters.
FROM THE DAILY DISH
27 Dec 2009 10:17 pm That seems to be what is happening in this clip. My previous interpretation has been challenged by several readers. Check out the 3 minute mark and you’ll see a man in a face-mask, as many baseej are now wearing, raise his riot police helmet in the air and join the crowd to great cries of excitement. In these scenes of mayhem, interpretation is hard and it may be that this is a protestor who has grabbed a baseej helmet and is brandishing it as a trophy, as I first guessed.
I’m just really struck by the fact that so few of these folks have masks on today. In June, half of the people were hiding their faces — this Ashura, not so much. Between that and the fact that they’re calling Khameini “Yazid”? Something very real has changed in the last six months.Then this photograph has popped up over the transom. It sure looks like a baseej switching sides
Again, this is raw footage from a very recent event. Treat it with caution. The Dish is dedicated to providing as much data as we can, in context. But this is very raw; it’s a draft of the first draft of history. It may be revised in time.
Source: http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/12/are-some-baseej-defecting.html
27 Dec 2009 10:17 pmAre Some Baseej Defecting?That seems to be what is happening in this clip. My previous interpretation has been challenged by several readers. Check out the 3 minute mark and you’ll see a man in a face-mask, as many baseej are now wearing, raise his riot police helmet in the air and join the crowd to great cries of excitement. In these scenes of mayhem, interpretation is hard and it may be that this is a protestor who has grabbed a baseej helmet and is brandishing it as a trophy, as I first guessed.But the mask suggests a more pivotal moment. Before the people were wearing them; now the brownshirts are. That, also, as a reader writes, seems like a critical sign: I’m just really struck by the fact that so few of these folks have masks on today. In June, half of the people were hiding their faces — this Ashura, not so much. Between that and the fact that they’re calling Khameini “Yazid”? Something very real has changed in the last six months.Then this photograph has popped up over the transom. It sure looks like a baseej switching sides:C Again, this is raw footage from a very recent event. Treat it with caution. The Dish is dedicated to providing as much data as we can, in context. But this is very raw; it’s a draft of the first draft of history. It may be revised in time.
27 Dec 2009 10:17 pmAre Some Baseej Defecting?That seems to be what is happening in this clip. My previous interpretation has been challenged by several readers. Check out the 3 minute mark and you’ll see a man in a face-mask, as many baseej are now wearing, raise his riot police helmet in the air and join the crowd to great cries of excitement. In these scenes of mayhem, interpretation is hard and it may be that this is a protestor who has grabbed a baseej helmet and is brandishing it as a trophy, as I first guessed.But the mask suggests a more pivotal moment. Before the people were wearing them; now the brownshirts are. That, also, as a reader writes, seems like a critical sign: I’m just really struck by the fact that so few of these folks have masks on today. In June, half of the people were hiding their faces — this Ashura, not so much. Between that and the fact that they’re calling Khameini “Yazid”? Something very real has changed in the last six months.Then this photograph has popped up over the transom. It sure looks like a baseej switching sides:C Again, this is raw footage from a very recent event. Treat it with caution. The Dish is dedicated to providing as much data as we can, in context. But this is very raw; it’s a draft of the first draft of history. It may be revised in time.