Describing the events in Iran yesterday, CNN correspondent Ivan Watson made a point of mentioning that free food and drink were handed out in Azadi Square to those celebrating the 31st anniversary of the revolution – as if the treats were part of a cunning ploy by the Ahmadinejad government.

Although some of my friends in Tehran who walked for miles to attend the hours of festivities at Azadi Square told me regretfully that they were not offered free food or drink, I don't doubt that refreshments were indeed distributed at the rally.

Last October I attended a memorial service in Tehran organised by the Revolutionary Guard to honour hundreds of Iranian medical volunteers killed while caring for their comrades during the bloody eight-year war with Iraq.

At the entrance of the packed auditorium small trays of fruit, juice and water were handed out. I tried to politely decline the offer from the man in camouflage, but was later happy that his insistence succeeded. I found the banana and pineapple flavoured juice box quite refreshing as the service dragged on for a number of hours.

Anyone who has spent time in Iran and the Middle East knows about the hospitality of this region. It's extremely disrespectful for a host not to offer a guest food or drink. To suggest that free food and drink were one of the motivating factors that brought hundreds of thousands out to Azadi Square yesterday is beyond absurd. This assumption that in order to support Ahmadinejad one must be from a poor, rural or illiterate background highlights a larger bias in the western media in their attempt to demonise the Islamic Republic and ignore its widespread support.

As CNN and others have attempted to give background into the modern history of Iran, the deposed Shah has been described merely as "pro-western" with little mention of his utter lack of support from the Iranian masses and the brutal repression by his regime to forcefully quell any voice of dissent.

Similarly, it is rare to learn about the US-led coup against the democratically elected government in 1953 that put the Shah in power for more than two-and-a-half decades. The Shah was not merely "pro-western"; his absolute monarchy was a western creation and he remained what many consider a puppet of the US for his entire reign.

The Iranian overthrow of the Shah in 1979, and the subsequent referendum on the Islamic Republic, were supported by the overwhelming majority of Iranians. For the first time in centuries they were choosing their own destiny. However, this destiny did not necessarily comply with the interests of those governments who had long influenced Iranian affairs and reaped profits from the country's resources, particularly Iran's immense oil reserves.

Since the revolution, the US and other western governments have been at odds with the Islamic Republic. After the September 11 attacks in New York, the Bush administration carelessly lumped Iran (along with its historic enemy, Saddam Hussein) into its simplistic "Axis of Evil" category. Most large media networks in the US followed suit and have not treated the Islamic Republic as anything less than evil in their coverage.

By removing this blatant Bush-era bias a more accurate image of the events unfolding in Iran emerges. Since soon after its inception, the Islamic Republic has faced protests from varying numbers among Iranian society. After last year's disputed presidential elections, the opposition's numbers reached a peak.

The Iranian authorities have imprisoned, beaten and even killed many of those who have taken to the streets in a condemnable display of force. But is this really the "Twitter", "Green" or just plain ol' "revolution" that much of the western media is making it out to be?

The pro-government masses that took to the streets in June after the elections to celebrate Ahmadinejad's victory, and then again after the clashes during the Ashura holy day in December, and now to commemorate the anniversary of the revolution, should indicate that no, this is not a revolution but rather a deepening internal divide.

To speculate whether the majority of Iranians support the government or the opposition is irrelevant. First we need to understand that it's not free juice boxes and small bags of cookies bringing the Iranian masses – from either side of the political divide – out on to the street.

The Guardian.co.uk