‘Loss of life to the dictator’: Month after lethal crackdown, protests flare up in Iran once more – Watch

Video footage circulating on-line exhibits a whole bunch of scholars marching by way of college campuses in Tehran and Mashhad on Saturday, greater than 40 days after a lethal crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran. The rallies, described as the biggest pupil demonstrations for the reason that violence final month, occurred at Sharif College of Know-how, Amirkabir College of Know-how and several other medical sciences universities in each cities. At Sharif College within the capital, college students carrying Iranian nationwide flags chanted “demise to the dictator” in reference to Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, alongside different anti-government and pro-monarchy slogans. The BBC mentioned it had verified footage of the march firstly of the brand new semester, displaying largely peaceable scenes earlier than scuffles broke out between demonstrators and supporters of a rival pro-government gathering close by. Basij paramilitary forces affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have been deployed, and protests there have been met with pressure.Further verified photos confirmed a peaceable sit-in at Shahid Beheshti College in Tehran, whereas footage from Amirkabir College captured college students chanting in opposition to the authorities. In Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest metropolis, college students have been heard shouting “Freedom, freedom” and urging their friends to “shout on your rights”. Additional demonstrations have been reported later within the day, with requires extra rallies on Sunday. It was not instantly clear whether or not arrests had been made.The newest unrest follows mass protests that erupted in late December over financial grievances, together with the collapse of the rial, earlier than spreading nationwide. The US-based Human Rights Activists Information Company has claimed greater than 6,000 folks have been killed within the crackdown, together with protesters and kids, and mentioned it was analyzing hundreds extra reported deaths. Iranian authorities have put the demise toll at over 3,100, sustaining that a lot of these killed have been safety personnel or bystanders focused by what they name rioters.The scholar rallies come amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s nuclear programme, with US President Donald Trump weighing potential navy motion at the same time as diplomatic efforts proceed.