IRANIAN PROTESTERS ATTACK POLICE STATIONS, RAISE STAKES IN UNREST
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People protest in Tehran, Iran December 30, 2017 in this picture obtained from social media.
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Iranian protesters attacked police stations late into the night on
Monday, news agency and social media reports said, as security forces struggled
to contain the boldest challenge to the clerical leadership since unrest in
2009.
Videos on social media showed an intense clash in the central town of
Qahderijan between security forces and protesters who were trying to occupy a
police station, which was partially set ablaze. There were unconfirmed reports
of several casualties among demonstrators.
In the western city of Kermanshah, protesters set fire to a traffic
police post, but no one was hurt in the incident, Mehr news agency said.
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People protest in Tehran, in this picture obtained from social media.
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Demonstrations continued for a fifth day. Some 13 people were reported
killed on Sunday in the worst wave of unrest since crowds took to the streets
in 2009 to condemn the re-election of then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The protests have put pressure on the clerical leaders in power since
the 1979 Islamic Revolution. President Hassan Rouhani made a televised call for
calm on Sunday, saying Iranians had the right to criticize but must not cause
unrest.
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People protest in Tehran, in this picture obtained from social media.
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In the central city of Najafabad, a demonstrator opened fire on police
with a hunting rifle, killing one and wounding three others, state television
said.
Earlier, state TV said armed demonstrators on Sunday had tried to seize
police and military bases but were stopped by “strong resistance from security
forces.” It gave no further details and there was no independent confirmation.
State TV had reported that 10 people were killed in protests on Sunday.
On Monday, that death toll rose when the deputy governor of the western Hamadan
Province, Saeed Shahrokhi, told ISNA news agency that another three protesters
were killed on Sunday in the city of Tuyserkan.
“NO TOLERANCE”
Hundreds have been arrested, according to officials and social media.
Online video showed police in the capital Tehran firing water cannon to disperse
demonstrators, in footage said to have been filmed on Sunday.
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| People protest in Tehran, in this picture obtained from social media. |
Some of the anger was directed at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, breaking a
taboo surrounding the man who has been supreme leader of Iran since 1989.
Video posted on social media showed crowds of people walking through
the streets, some chanting “Death to the dictator!” Reuters was not immediately
able to verify the footage. The Fars news agency reported “scattered groups” of
protesters in Tehran on Monday and said a ringleader had been arrested.
“The government will show no tolerance for those who damage public
property, violate public order and create unrest in society,” Rouhani said in
his address on Sunday.
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People anti- protest in Tehran, in this picture obtained from social media.
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Unsigned statements on social media urged Iranians to continue to
demonstrate in 50 towns and cities.
The government said it was temporarily restricting access to the
Telegram messaging app and Instagram. There were reports that internet mobile
access was blocked in some areas.
TRUMP, NETANYAHU VOICE
SUPPORT
Iran is a major OPEC oil producer and regional power deeply involved in
Syria and Iraq as part of a battle for influence with rival Saudi Arabia. Many
Iranians resent those foreign interventions, and want their leaders to create
jobs at home, where youth unemployment reached 28.8 percent last year.
Among reported fatalities, two people were shot dead in the
southwestern town of Izeh on Sunday and several others were injured, ILNA news
agency quoted a member of parliament as saying.
“I do not know whether yesterday’s shooting was done by rally
participants or the police and this issue is being investigated,” Hedayatollah
Khademi was quoted as saying.
Regional governor Mostafa Samali told Fars that only one person was
killed in an incident unrelated to the protests, and the suspected shooter had
been arrested.
Almost nine years since the “Green movement” reformist protests were
crushed by the state, Iran’s adversaries voiced their support for the
resurgence of anti-government sentiment.
U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted: “The great Iranian people have
been repressed for many years. They are hungry for food & for freedom.
Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted. TIME FOR CHANGE!”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the “brave Iranians”
taking to streets to protest a regime that “wastes tens of billions of dollars
spreading hate”.
“I wish the Iranian people success in their noble quest for freedom,”
he said in a video posted on his Facebook page.
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel urged “all sides (to) refrain
from violent actions”.
SOURCE : REUTERS
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