the eight demonstrations. CHRIS O'BRIEN reports.
Despite the imposition of martial law in a number of maiortowns, ail toc moscaons are of a continued escalation of the protests.
The official figures of seven dead - ar of the weekend -are generally believed to be an underestimate, The government denounced the demonstrators as 'saboteurs whose aim was to hindet IC waS efforts to liberalise political life'.
"efforts" include presiding over the country with the largest number of political prisoners in the world.
The Shah has announced his intention of holding elections nest summer, as part of his months strategy for handing power over to his youtg son The problem ar the moment is that all the institutions of the biciatorsmp ars 30.
TRUOTEL LH OOC HAN CON 1 BS antikely that they would outlast him haas The idea of clections is that they would CstaD Isn rather more permanent constitutional structure -democratic one, as the events of the last wock have shown.
The Shah faces the perennial problem ol Ing autocrat: there will always be some naive souls who take you at your word, Över the past few months Giovanni Battista Montini. But contempt for the women is common to all popes.
This one had a particatariy cynical career. which was in sharp contrust to the popular of saintly gentieman with big ears.
From 1924 to 1954 man bull his career - Monhs worked for the Secretariat of Vatican, department which deals with foreiga diplomacy.
Pias Xil. the pope st that time, maintained relations with the Nazi regime in Germans. Hitler refarned the compliment by easing off his persecution of German Catholics.
Montini taithfully applied Pias" diplomatic line.
At the end of the war he was in charge of the department which included the refee bire roride Nus denled network to prOTIOE ICELALLS allowed them sanctuary in South Americu.
It is estimated trat more than 5000 Gestupo and 55 officers escapeo ne wae mare ane them were Adolf Fichmann.
Kisus and Ruuff, now an adviser to the RSEUT SELAEUSHILS conssdered somelhing ol expert at this sort of thing; since it was also he who was charged relations remnants of the lialian fascist regime in the lust days hefore THECH TUSAAT They re saying that Paul VI has no abvious successor. With a record like that it's handly surprising!
Challunge LEIGH Socialist Challenge gieup wil be holeing ngolr meetings shonly Fc dealts rig #iry un Atherion 3 NORTH EAST NEWCASTLE Serinliss Iocal sapporlers are activei li you want tham, phore Pain an (0532)
DURHAM Sorialiet Chel HIESU Sooatal Cha Woo wonl a)atan 10 Tem.
CHINH100 15- 0108 Souinist LONDON HARROW Socinist Challengu supTOWER HAMLETS Sociailsl Chalthere bas been a spira of anti-Shah protests, cach one brutally repressed by police and anti-regime plainclothed thugs.
days Tater, at the end of the Moslem period of mourning, will come anolner DroEcst.
These are gradually under mining the Shah's propaganda closely offensive abroad.
FEAR With a combination ofa few shining skyscrapers tocord ol super-explonason, the Iranian regime has tried to build a reputation as a modernising and civilised ail state.
Hence TINIEL Marxist* for the opponents of the regime HaLLAHSI On the one hand is the implication that these are the forces benigated religion. ather, persuade a UCEHY population that they are being manipulated froni Moscow rights In Tacs all this reveals is the Shah's fear of the twin forces capabic DODUEDE Altbough the pro-Moscow ald Communist Party counts for little. the regime is aware of the шоге coca convu sons creacu or rapid and uneven industrialisaTH И S institution in Iran.
Then, the peasantryspending.
and Already the tranian forces have twice arms deal berween the *Islamic they get plenty more.
backward and the *100 per cens free". the Shah is trying to TILE1UB? dead.
mobilising thie thi hireel At the same time the Mosque is a massively powertul political *trong hold on the allegiance of All in all, the Shah cannot be very confident about his future which goes a long way to explaining why the period of indestrialisation has also beeti one of phenomenal military Britain has been the Shat' main milicary quartermaster armed Trieain anti the m army and the recent E750m TWO countries will make sure that This is happily accepted b the Shah's apologists on Fleet Street, who parrot his claimi that next year's election will be plenty of his opponents are 100 per cent * 25 yean ago the CIA organised a coup to remove the radical nationalist Mossadegh Handy,) dog-collars
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Iran's 'Islamic Marxists" are at it agsin. And the Shah's dietatorship is looking shakier than at any time