BERLIN - Thousands of Iranians demonstrated in Berlin on Monday against a visit by President Mohammad Khatami despite tight security and incessant rain.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCR) said over 20,000 people had attended the rally, while 10,000 had been prevented from getting there.

The protesters beat drums, waved Iranian flags without the central Islamic symbol and carried banners with slogans such as "Trade with the mullahs hurts human rights." Paintings portrayed Khatami with vampire teeth and breathing fire.

Huge screens showed satirical political videos, while men dressed as imams led others wearing mock prison garb with nooses around their necks.

Many demonstrators held up pictures of Massoud and Maryam Rajavi, leaders of the Mojahedin.

Police said about 4,000 officers were on duty for Khatami's visit. The German authorities have introduced special measures in recent days to stop any disruption to the sensitive visit.

Police said they had detained around 50 people in Berlin and searched dozens of homes of opponents of the Tehran government. Border guards had stopped Iranians entering Germany, while others were ordered to report to police.

"I would have expected more from German democracy," said Mitra Bagheri, an NCR activist in Germany since 1994.

Hussein Abedini, an NCR spokesman based in London, agreed. "The German government did dirty deals with the mullahs. They did all they could to stop the demonstration."

Exiles said Khatami's image as a reformer was a front. "Why is the world and the German government so excited about supporting someone who has been responsible for the executions of political prisoners?" asked Dowlat Nowrovzi.

"Khatami is a mullah who wants the system to remain. Khatami is no Gorbachev."
 

Unmistakable Message of Protesters in Germany: Khatami Is a Murderer, Voice of America, July 10

Thousands of protesters gathered in the center of Berlin to demonstrate against the visit of Iran's President Mohammad Khatami. The demonstrators say the numbers would have been greater if the German government had not intervened.

The crowd was good humored and listened peacefully to speeches and music despite rain. But the flags and banners carried the unmistakable message - President Khatami is a murderer. If you want reform, support the opposition…

A member of the foreign affairs committee of the Iranian National Council of Resistance, Hussein Abedini, said German police had attacked the homes and hostels of Iranian refugees earlier and arrested at least 80-people. Police had also done their best to prevent others even reaching Berlin…

Many members of the German parliament support the protests. The head of the parliament's human-rights committee, Claudia Roth, has said Iran's human-rights violations justify the demonstrations that Germany has tried to control, despite the constitutional commitment to the right to freedom of expression.
 

Facing Protests in Streets of Germany, Khatami Travels by helicopter within Berlin, Associated Press, July 10

BERLIN - Mohammed Khatami faced protests in the streets and hard talks on human rights with Germany's chancellor as he began a visit Monday.

As Khatami was being greeted at the airport with military honors, thousands of exiled Iranians marched through central Berlin, accusing Iran's conservative Islamic rulers of repression. Police said 18 were arrested for carrying slanderous banners.

Demonstrators chanted "Khatami is a terrorist" to the sound of drums and cymbals, and some held up placards demanding "No trade with the mullahs."

Khatami was traveling mostly by helicopter, even within Berlin, because of German fears that embarrassing confrontations could undercut his standing back home.
 

Protests As Khatami Begins Germany Visit, Agence France Press, July 10

BERLIN - Mohammad Khatami began a visit to Germany Monday amid strict security measures and Iranian opposition protests over human rights…

The organizers, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, headed by Massoud Rajavi, says there were 20,000 protesters.

At the opposition demonstration, banners portrayed Khatami as a dead hope for democratic reforms in Iran, with Rajavi as the political alternative.

"Freedom and democracy with Rajavi," said one banner. "Boycott yes, trade no," said another.

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