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| Europe | |
| Iranian Sets Herself on Fire in Paris | |
| 2003-06-18 | |
| break out the lemongrass An Iranian set herself on fire Wednesday during a protest in Paris against a major raid at the offices of an Iranian opposition group. The woman, 42-year-old Marzieh Babakhani, was rushed to the hospital after other protesters put out the flames, said Shain Gobadi, of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. Police said Babakhani suffered serious burns to her upper body, including her face, after dousing herself with a flammable liquid and lighting a match. "Koobideh?" "I'd love some, thanks" The Paris demonstration, which drew about 50 people, took place outside the headquarters of France's counter-intelligence agency, known as the DST. It was the third dramatic protest in Europe against Tuesday's crackdown on the Mujahedeen Khalq, which is accused of terrorism by the United States and the European Union. On Tuesday, a 38-year-old man in London set himself on fire during a protest outside the French Embassy. About 50 protesters in Hamburg, Germany, were detained after some entered the Iranian consulate, kicking over furniture. hmm, how'd they get in? During the Tuesday raids outside of Paris, French police detained 159 members of the Mujahedeen and seized several suitcases of hundred-dollar bills amounting to $1.3 million, police said. The sweep came a month after the Mujahedeen Khalq's armed wing was disarmed by U.S. forces in Iraq. The group has fought to topple Iran's clerical regime.
Since when did that become a crime in France? Remember Khomeini? The move against the Mujahedeen also comes as Iran's conservative Muslim government is being rocked by widespread protests calling for greater freedoms and democracy. It was unclear whether the raids, which France said were planned a month ago, were connected to the recent unrest inside Iran. But the crackdown could hinder the group's ability to benefit from any weakening of the Tehran government. | |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #12 Becky---It's a holdover from State Dept. SOP. If they bomb us directly, then they are our enemy. However, if they bomb us indirectly, like 9-11 with their nationals but not directly like the nation, like Saudi, then they get a pass. If the country poses a threat, and enough of the President's cabinet feels that a serious enough threat exists, then they overrule State and that nation becomes an enemy. However, if another nation...................... |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-06-18 19:38:55 |
| #11 Alaska, interesting points. It seems like the discovery of that much cash merits its own headline, rather than being buried in the text as a small aside, so maybe it is a plant. I don't know...but it sure seems odd. Some one remind me again why we pretend the French are our Allies? |
| Posted by: Becky 2003-06-18 18:50:49 |
| #10 The three who set themselves on fire are no laughing matter. LGF has a link to pictures, and it's rather horrifying. Neither LGF nor the Yahoo comments make clear who exactly these three were. But notice they didn't strap on a bomb belt, as LiberalHawk noted. My sympathy meter twitched big for them. For the others arrested, no reading. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2003-06-18 22:01:43 |
| #9 Sir! We found Glenn Reynolds links a BBC article http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2999652.stm that says "Well over $3m in cash as well as computers and communications equipment were also seized in the raids. France says the raids on the People's Mujahideen - part of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) - were the result of a three-year investigation. Must have had a slight counting error the first time around. |
| Posted by: Becky 2003-06-18 21:59:59 |
| #8 Becky---The cash deal got me thinking also. I wonder if there is any Company money as part of the 1.3 million in cash in the suitcase. It would be the logical thing to do to fund these movements. It is, however, foolish to move that quantity of money around in one container. Also, remember the news source. The French govt could be planting this item also in order to discredit the resistance movement. It does make sense. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-06-18 17:25:42 |
| #7 Excellent point Alaska. I don't, maybe I'm just Resistance-Movement unsavy and 1.3 million, in a suitcase, is just par for the course rather than enough money to fund an entire movement. Either way, it seems unlikely that they just stumbled onto the cash and more likely that some serious, intelligence work was involved. I mean, where does one get suitcases full of that kind of cash, that they can afford to just give to a cause? But as you paint it, it makes sense that Chirac and Villipin are just stomping on this bug, hard and fast to protect more lucrative interests with the current Iranian regime. |
| Posted by: Becky 2003-06-18 17:04:34 |
| #6 notice how these guys and gals set only THEMSELVES on fire - no walking into crowded nightclubs or buses and blowing people up. Yet France insists that Hamas which does such things is a "partner for peace" while these guys are terrorists who must be rounded up. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-06-18 11:54:27 |
| #5 tap-tap,sympathy meter busted! |
| Posted by: raptor 2003-06-18 09:59:04 |
| #4 WHOA!!! Holy Frijole!! During the Tuesday raids outside of Paris, French police detained 159 members of the Mujahedeen and seized several suitcases of hundred-dollar bills amounting to $1.3 million, police said. Heh! That was their big mistake. Suitcases full of cash will always get the attention of ChIraq and Villanpinhead. Galloway must be jealous. |
| Posted by: Becky 2003-06-18 09:55:15 |
| #3 Too bad Marzieh wasn't just trying to gain membership at the Augusta country club. If she had the liberals would have taken up her cause. |
| Posted by: mhw 2003-06-18 09:24:02 |
| #2 The French govt has the most to gain monetarily with the existing Iranian regime, just like they did with Sammy and Co. in Iraq. The resistance group is a turd in France's punch bowl and the French govt does not want this bowl of punch to go sour. So the French are going to stomp any serious wiggling of Iranian resistance groups out like bugs. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-06-18 16:00:35 |
| #1 I must be insensitive. I found the fact that the French "recieved" 1.3 million in cash from the crackdown to be far more intriguing than the news of another nut committing suicide for "The CauseTM". Hmmm... maybe my sympathy meter was knocked out of wack on 9-11. |
| Posted by: Becky 2003-06-18 14:17:50 |