Iran vote anniversary spurs fights

TEHRAN, Iran – Small clashes erupted Saturday between demonstrators marking the first anniversary of Iran’s disputed presidential election and baton-wielding security forces, witnesses and opposition websites reported.

The outbreaks of protest throughout Tehran, the capital, and in other cities drew groups numbering in the hundreds instead of the thousands or tens of thousands that characterized the massive street rallies of summer and fall 2009.

The protests came despite a last-minute decision by opposition leaders Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi to call off the anniversary rally, apparently out of concern that the official crackdown would be too harsh. Security forces have been preparing for the anniversary for months.

The scuffles suggested that the movement that sprang from the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad remained alive, even if it had lost much of its momentum.