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Two blocks ahead of me several Basiji were approaching with riot shields and batons, sandwiching me between them and the oncoming protestors four blocks away. As I turned around to walk into the demonstrators two of the Basiji called out for me to stop. I dropped my head down and walked a little faster. In hindsight, I should have seen if one of the nearby noon-vahi owners would let me duck into their shop before they locked the door, but when you’re all alone no one helps you in the city. In an instant, I remembered all the messed-up things I’ve seen and heard about in the past week, a woman’s hand being beaten in traffic for holding a peace sign out of her window and her husband being brutally clubbed after stepping out of his car to defend his wife, all the while everyone in traffic sits quietly and obeys the orders to continue the constant flow of traffic.I turned to look back, and one of the two had started running towards me. I slowed down thinking at least the protesters were getting closer. Again, they told me to stop, and I stopped.“Where are you going?”“To my home, it’s in this direction,” raising to my neck to indicate it was towards the demonstrators“No it’s not.” One of the Basiji raised his baton around my back and tapped me on my shoulder blade, “It’s this way.”A similar scenario had happened a few days earlier at Vanak Square when I had lost my father in the mix of a demonstration where Basiji militia were attacking anything green and smashing out the windows of any cars that honked. As it has been during every protest so far, cell phone service was shut down while I stood on a corner hoping that my father would eventually walk to where I was. Three Basiji (always looking identical: bearded, round bellies from all the traditional rice-based food, the same casual communist-coloured tailoring) approached me from behind, tapped me on the shoulder with a baton to get my attention, and asked me what I was doing. I told them I lost my father and was looking for him. They told me to move and clubbed me against the knee, then asked if I had any other matters to sort out. I wasn’t looking forward to a repeat play of this situation.
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