Male Iranian school students, who are members of Basij militia, which is a unit of the Revolutionary Guard, burn a US flag, in an annual demonstration in front of the former US Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009, in a ceremony commemorating the 30th anniversary of the seizure of the US Embassy by militant students on Nov. 4, 1979. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) (The Associated Press)

Tehran, Iran » The contrasts were vivid: Pro-government supporters chanted "Death to America" and stomped on U.S. flags Wednesday while not far away, hundreds of opposition protesters denounced Iran's leaders and appealed to America's president to choose sides.

"Obama, Obama, you are either with them or with us," the anti-government protesters chanted in Farsi, in an amateur video clip widely circulated on the Internet.

The new and startling appeal to President Barack Obama came as Iran's opposition protesters returned to the streets in large numbers for the first time in nearly two months. Authorities were ready with the same sweeping measures they used to quell fierce election-fraud protests this summer and early fall: Sending paramilitary units to key locations to fire tear gas and beat people with batons.

Witnesses said they heard a man, apparently working for a paramilitary group, shout "Beat him up, beat him up," as he chased a protester in the crowd. "How is it possible to see such cruelty," another protester cried as he stood on the street, according to the same unnamed witnesses.

The protests showed the determination of Iran's opposition to reassert its voice. But the latest marches drew far fewer demonstrators than in the summer or even in September, suggesting the relentless pressure by authorities could be taking a toll.

In Washington, the White House called for an end

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to the violence against anti-government protesters. The administration has pursued talks with Iran's government even as it has pushed for more concessions on Iran's controversial nuclear program.