Fliers were distributed during today’s Friday prayers in Tehran calling on people to protest in front of Etemad Melli’s office on Saturday afternoon. Etemad Melli is the newspaper of the reformist presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi. Saham News speculates that the fliers were presumably published and distributed by Ansar al- Hezbollah, which is known to use violence by plain-clothed agents.
Karroubi said on Friday night that Etemad Melli welcomes any criticism of its perspective on the political situation in Iran. Meanwhile, Karroubi asked the paper’s backers to be “patient” with its detractors. Karroubi asked his backers not to go to the Etemad Melli’s office tomorrow, because he and his colleagues want to listen to the protesters in a peaceful environment. Yet, he asked Etemad Melli’s readers to gather in front of Etemad Melli’s office on Monday at 4 p.m. to show their support. The newspaper’s chief editor has asked Tehran’s Prosecutor General to provide for the safety and security for their office.
According to BBC Persian, Friday prayer leaders in several large cities launched into a severe attack against Karroubi, calling for his trial. [See Artin’s translation below.]