Tens of thousands of Iranians marched through Tehran on Friday proclaiming solidarity with Palestinians and chanting "Death to Israel" in the Islamic republic's annual protest against the Jewish state.
Iranians of all ages began the march through the center of the capital to Tehran University to mark Quds Day, calling for Jerusalem and Israel to be handed to the Palestinians.
Colored bibs were handed out to protestors with the words "Death to Israel. Death to United States" while "Palestine will only be free with fighting and faith" was the slogan on one banner.
Despite the heavily politicized nature of the demonstration, there was a festive mood with the numerous children present having their faces painted as cats and rabbits in entertainment laid on by the municipality.
"I come every year because the Palestinians are helpless and they cannot defend themselves. I come here to here to attract the world's attention to their plight," said Somayeh Salim, 27.
She was carrying an Israeli flag in her rucksack: "I am going to burn it."
The protest was due to be echoed in similar demonstrations up and down the country.
The Tehran demonstration was due to culminate in a speech by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the university.
Ahmadinejad provoked an international outcry shortly after his election in 2005 when he called for Israel to be "wiped from the map" and described the Holocaust as a "myth."
Although he subsequently toned down his rhetoric slightly, Ahmadinejad has still repeatedly predicted that Israel is doomed to disappear.
He has also repeatedly questioned the scale of the mass slaughter of Jews in World War II.
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