Point/CounterpointDebate newsworthy and other 'hot-button' topics here. If it can be debated, this is the forum for it. Can't be thin skinned - people will disagree with you. No flaming or personal attacks.
Belgian police have arrested 56 Iranian protesters who surrendered after occupying a Lufthansa commercial airliner for nearly 16 hours at Brussels’ international airport, demanding that the EU “remove Islamic leaders from Iran”, news agencies reported on Friday.
The group of unarmed European citizens of Iranian origin had refused to exit the Lufthansa plane after it arrived in Frankfurt on Thursday. Some 90 Belgian police officers were sent in to escort the protesters from the aircraft, which had been moved away from the terminal after negotiations failed to end the protest action.
The pro-monarchist protesters were demanding that the EU, the US, and Russia halt all cooperation with the Iranian government, and called for the ouster of Iran’s Islamic leaders.
Reuters quoted one of the protesters as saying that they were demanding that Western leaders “stop supporting terrorist regimes […] and get rid of the Islamic regime or any kind of radical brutal religious movement from Iran”.
The protester said he was part of a group seeking to restore Iran’s royal family, which was ousted during the 1979 Islamic Revolution. He also said the group was opposed to the EU’s conciliatory policies towards Iran, referring to the bloc’s attempt to negotiate with Iran over its dual-use nuclear activities and offer Tehran economic incentives to give up uranium enrichment.
Belgian police and Foreign Ministry officials decided to cease negotiations with the protesters after initial efforts to coax them off the plane failed. Police said the protesters would likely not be charged.
Point/Counterpoint
03-14-2005, 14:33
Police arrest Iranian protesters on German plane 
