Tens of thousands of regime backers 'shouting death to seditionists' march through cities across Iran in a show of support after brutal clampdown on protesters left at least 21 dead
State TV showed huge pro-regime rallies in cities of Ahvaz, Kermanshah, Gorgan
Supporters waved pictures of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Comes after a brutal clampdown on protesters left at least 21 dead across Iran
By Julian Robinson for MailOnline and Afp
PUBLISHED: 19:12 AEDT, 3 January 2018 | UPDATED: 20:58 AEDT, 3 January 2018
Tens of thousands of regime backers have marched through cities across Iran in a show of support after a brutal clampdown on protesters left at least 21 dead.
Chants of 'Leader, we are ready' were heard as state television images showed huge crowds rallying in the cities of Ahvaz, Kermanshah, Gorgan and elsewhere.
The demonstrators waved Iranian flags and pictures of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as placards saying 'Death to seditionists'.
'We offer the blood in our veins to our leader,' was another popular chant.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has thrown the weight of the U.S. government behind anti-regime protests.
Tens of thousands of regime backers have marched through cities across Iran in a show of support after a brutal clampdown on protesters left at least 21 dead. This was the scene in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz +9
Tens of thousands of regime backers have marched through cities across Iran in a show of support after a brutal clampdown on protesters left at least 21 dead. This was the scene in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz
Chants of 'Leader, we are ready' were heard as state television images showed huge crowds rallying in the cities of Ahvaz (pictured), Kermanshah, Gorgan and elsewhere
Chants of 'Leader, we are ready' were heard as state television images showed huge crowds rallying in the cities of Ahvaz (pictured), Kermanshah, Gorgan and elsewhere
The demonstrators waved Iranian flags and pictures of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as placards saying 'Death to seditionists' +9
The demonstrators waved Iranian flags and pictures of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as placards saying 'Death to seditionists'
The US President is rooting them on despite Tehran having blamed the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Britain for the protests.
He declared on Tuesday it was 'time for change' and praised demonstrators for 'finally acting against the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime.'
Washington has continued to exert pressure on the Islamic republic, with its UN ambassador Nikki Haley calling for emergency UN talks to discuss the situation.
Now Trump warns he could end aid to Palestinians saying they...
Tear down this firewall: Trump White House tells Iran to...
'The people of Iran are crying out for freedom,' she said at a news conference. 'All freedom-loving people must stand with their cause.'
Iran's leaders have said the protests, which began over economic issues on December 28 but quickly turned more radical, were part of a foreign plot to destabilise the regime.
'The enemies have united and are using all their means, money, weapons, policies and security services to create problems for the Islamic regime,' Khamenei said.
'The enemy is always looking for an opportunity and any crevice to infiltrate and strike the Iranian nation.'
Iran's leaders have said the protests, which began over economic issues on December 28 but quickly turned more radical, were part of a foreign plot to destabilise the regime. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a speech during his meeting with families of martyr's in Tehran yesterday
Iran's leaders have said the protests, which began over economic issues on December 28 but quickly turned more radical, were part of a foreign plot to destabilise the regime. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a speech during his meeting with families of martyr's in Tehran yesterday
During the protests, six died when protesters clashed with security forces as they tried to storm a police station in Qahderijan, a town of 30,000 in the Isfahan region of central Iran. Pictures have emerged purportedly showing the clash on Tuesday
During the protests, six died when protesters clashed with security forces as they tried to storm a police station in Qahderijan, a town of 30,000 in the Isfahan region of central Iran. Pictures have emerged purportedly showing the clash on Tuesday
This picture is believed to show a clash at a police station in Qahderijan in which six protesters died
This picture is believed to show a clash at a police station in Qahderijan in which six protesters died
Even reformists, who backed the last major protest movement against alleged election-rigging in 2009, condemned the violence and the support it has received from the United States.
But they also urged the authorities to address economic grievances that have fuelled the protests.
'Officials must acknowledge the deplorable situation of the country as the first step to hearing the protesters,' tweeted Mohammad Taghi Karroubi, whose father Mehdi Karroubi has been under house arrest for almost seven years for helping lead the 2009 demonstrations.
Many have been turned off by the violence, which has contrasted with the largely peaceful marches in 2009.
But on the streets of the capital, there is widespread sympathy with the economic grievances driving the unrest, particularly an unemployment rate as high as 40 percent for young people.
Iranians march in support of the government in the capital Tehran on December 30
Iranians march in support of the government in the capital Tehran on December 30
Protests in cities across Iran have left at least 21 dead in recent days while hundreds more have been arrested +9
Protests in cities across Iran have left at least 21 dead in recent days while hundreds more have been arrested
'The poorer section of society is really under pressure,' Sakineh Eidi, a 37-year-old pharmacist in Tehran, told AFP. 'But I don't think it will continue.'
'Even those who maybe acted emotionally, vandalising things and setting fire to public property, know that the smoke will get into everyone's eyes and that insecurity in the country is not in anyone's interest.'
Others rejected the official line that foreign powers were behind the unrest.
'I don't agree. People have reached a stage where they can no longer tolerate this pressure from the authorities. They have burst and are now out in the streets,' said Soraya Saadaat, a 54-year-old unemployed woman.
There were only limited reports of violence and clashes in provincial areas on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday.
Two men fired on a bank and police post in the central province of Isfahan, without causing casualties, said state television.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (centre) has acknowledged there is 'no problem bigger than unemployment'
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (centre) has acknowledged there is 'no problem bigger than unemployment'
'No information has been published on clashes or arrests in Tehran,' said reformist news agency ILNA late Friday.
Police presence in the capital also appeared to have dwindled, official media and AFP journalists said.
That was in contrast with the previous two nights, when multiple deaths were reported across smaller towns, including six protesters killed during attacks on a police station in Isfahan province.
As violence grew, authorities stepped up arrests, with at least 450 people detained in Tehran between Saturday and Monday, and many more in outlying areas.
Rouhani came to power in 2013 promising to mend the economy and ease social tensions, but high living costs and a 12 percent unemployment rate have left many feeling that progress is too slow.
Rural areas, hit by years of drought and under-investment, are particularly hard-hit.
Rouhani on Sunday acknowledged there was 'no problem bigger than unemployment', and also promised a more balanced media and more transparency.
In 2009, authorities ruthlessly put down protests against the re-election of hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. At least 36 people were killed, according to an official toll, while the opposition says 72 died.
No comments:
Post a Comment