These were the workers of the Vahed Bus Company who, organised in their independent trade union, demanded their rights by shouting with the most outreaching voice and suppressed rage.
In a short while their activist allies and a considerable number of workers united with them and later moved towards the platform. This immediately overshadowed the whole ceremony.
The slogan "Ossalou should speak", "Ossalou should speak" lifted the spirits of those above and for this reason one of the Intelligence [Ministry] personnel left his guard post up there and moved towards Mansour Ossalou with the intention of beating him. This he was not able to do. The independent workers did not take over the platform, but those at the top were also not able to carry on with their planned ceremony. They were continuously booed. After reading every article of the resolution they were booed. The sound of slogans like "Workers, students, unity, unity", "Workers, teachers, unity, unity", "Down with capitalism's protectors" and "Temporary contracts must be revoked", did not allow the proceedings to stay under the control of the Labour House officials.
The roaring workers went towards the exit gates shouting their own independent slogans. When the security forces of capital saw that this fire was becoming more inflamed, it once again showed that it is the capitalists' protector and is only armed for suppressing the workers' movement. They attacked the workers with truncheons provided by the taxes on workers, beating the taxpayers.
The united ranks of the workers went through the police line and kept going forwards. The assaults escalated. One worker was so badly beaten that his mates took him to their coach on a stretcher.
May Day 2007
The militant workers had reached their aims, so they decided to end the ceremony. They, with cheerful pride and honour from their unity and self-confidence, left the demonstration.
It was at this time that the police [snatch squads] began their hunt. People who had been identified were followed and arrested in quiet places. A number of students and a worker from the Vahed Company trade union were arrested. The students have now been freed, but, at the time of preparing this report there is no news on whether the arrested worker has been released. In addition, on the way to the metro station Mansour Ossalou was attacked so that he could be arrested. But the resistance of his supporters prevented his arrest.
In the afternoon the workers went to the venue for the celebrating their own day. But they were confronted with a closed door. As if workers are not supposed to celebrate their day and that this ought to be a day of mourning!
A considerable number of the people who had come in the afternoon sat in front of the closed door until the arranged time [for ending the ceremony]. They had ice cream, sweets and held discussions amongst themselves and on today's ceremony. A lively May Day was recorded in their history.
Long live workers' unity!
Militant magazine's reporter
1 May 2007
[1] The Labour House is a body that for over 25 year has served as a tool of the Iranian regime in suppressing genuine workers' organisations. For example, in May 2005 it was used to attack the independent trade union set up by the bus drivers of the Vahed Company in Tehran.
[2] Hassan Sadeghi is Secretary of the Co-ordination Headquarters of the Islamic Labour Councils and Ali-Reza Mahjoob is the General Secretary of the Labour House.
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The Islamic Revolution
In the early 1970s the Iranian guerrilla movement began in northern Iran in the province of Mazandaran(mostly Azeris). The 1970s also witnessed the birth of widespread worker's strikes and demonstrations, and university campuses became a hotbed of revolutionary activity. The Tudeh Party drastically increased its activities, recruiting many youth and organizing regional committees.
After the revolution, many political prisoners were freed and the Tudeh Party and other leftist groups were able to participate in the presidential and parliamentary elections for the first time in many years. However, the majority of seats in the Majlis were won by the Islamic Republican Party of Ayatollah Beheshti and leftist and nationalist organizations were forced out of the loop. The newly elected President, Abolhassan Bani Sadr, who had originally been close with Khomeini, also became increasingly frustrated with the developments that had been taking place and opposed the domination of the clergy and the religious factions in Iranian politics.
In 1981, the Majlis, dominated by the Islamic Republican Party, forced Bani Sadr out of office, which initiated a wave of protests and demonstrations from all segments of the populace. Bani Sadr later fled the country. Armed revolutionary committees loyal to Khomeini (which came to be known as the Pasdaran) arrested many thousands of youth and activists from both nationalist and leftist groups, many of whom were later tried by Ayatollah Sadegh Khalkhali, who was infamously known as the Hanging Judge, and executed.
Attempting to take advantage of this situation, which saw many leftist groups (and rivals to the Tudeh) eliminated, the Tudeh Party leadership decided to take part in the new regime and to collaborate with the clerical establishment. This ultimately failed, and in 1982 the leadership were arrested and imprisoned, and later more than 5,000 members and supporters of the party were also arrested. The party was also banned around this time.
As a result of these purges the party gradually collapsed, with a great number of members leaving the country into exile, while many party leaders renounced communism and reconciled with the government of the Islamic Republic. Over the years thousands of political prisoners, including many members of the Tudeh, were sentenced to death and executed.
However, the party managed to survive and continues to operate as an underground political organization in Iran, with the new Central Committee, elected in 1992, based in exile. It is currently led by Ali Khavari.