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A8 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 14 January 2020
Video: Iran police shoot at those protesting plane shootdown

By JON GAMBRELL es of the capital." However, demonstrators during pre- from senior officials about er happen again," he said.
Associated Press the semi-official Fars news vious waves of protests, in- it. They are also mourning Ali Rabiei, a government
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- agency reported that po- cluding after an increase in the dead, which included spokesman, insisted Iran's
ates (AP) — Online videos lice had "shot tear gas in gasoline prices in Novem- many young people who civilian officials only learned
appeared to show Iranian some areas." ber, when more than 300 were studying abroad. Friday that the Guard shot
security forces firing live Fars, which is close to the people were reportedly The first protest erupted in down the plane.
ammunition and tear gas Revolutionary Guard, car- killed in a crackdown. Tehran at what was initially "The point is that we did not
to disperse protests as pop- ried videos showing dem- Ebrahim Raisi, the head billed as a candlelight vigil. lie," Rabiei said. He went
ular anger swelled Monday on to blame the U.S. for
over the accidental shoot- "spreading the shadow of
down of a Ukrainian jetliner war over Iran."
and Iran's failed attempt to Javad Kashi, a professor of
conceal its role in the trag- politics at Tehran Allameh
edy. University, wrote online that
The unrest comes amid people should be allowed
soaring tensions between to express their anger in
Washington and Tehran public protests.
that have raised fears of "Buckled under the pressure
a war between the two of humiliation and being ig-
countries after a U.S. air- nored, people poured into
strike killed Iranian Gen. the streets with so much
Qassem Soleimani. Iran anger," he wrote. "Let them
responded with a ballistic cry as much as they want."
missile attack on two bases There's also been grief and
housing U.S. troops in Iraq, anger from Iran's creative
without hurting anyone. community.
It accidentally shot down Some artists, including
the plane hours later as it famed director Masoud
braced for a U.S. counter- Kimiai, withdrew from an
attack that never came. upcoming international film
Videos sent to the New festival. Two state TV hosts
York-based Center for Hu- resigned in protest over the
man Rights in Iran and later false reporting about what
verified by The Associat- happened to Flight 752.
ed Press show a crowd of Taraneh Alidoosti, one of
demonstrators near Azadi, Iran's most famous actress-
or Freedom, Square flee- es, posted a picture of a
ing as a tear gas canister In this photograph taken Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020, a protester confronts an Iranian police officer black square on Instagram
lands among them. People while demonstrators gather in front of Amir Kabir University in Tehran, Iran, to remember victims of with the caption: "We are
cough and sputter while a Ukrainian airplane shot down by an Iranian missile. not citizens. We are hostag-
trying to escape the fumes, Associated Press es. Millions of hostages."
with one woman calling out Saeed Maroof, the captain
in Farsi: "They fired tear gas onstrators chanting: "We of Iran's judiciary, issued a "They are lying that our en- of Iran's national volleyball
at people! Azadi Square! are children of war. Fight warning to protesters, say- emy is America! Our en- team, also wrote on Ins-
Death to the dictator!" with us, we will fight back." ing "the agents of Ameri- emy is right here!" students tagram: "I wish I could be
Another video shows a Another Fars video showed ca and agents of foreign shouted. hopeful that this was the
woman being carried demonstrators in Tehran on countries" want to use an- Iranian authorities briefly last scene of the show of
away in the aftermath Sunday night tearing down ger over the plane disas- arrested the British ambas- deceit and lack of wisdom
as a trail of blood can be a poster of Soleimani, who ter to "compromise" Iran's sador, who said he went to of these incompetents but I
seen on the ground. Those had led the Guard's elite security. Iran often blames the vigil to pay his respects still know it is not."
around her cry out that she Quds Force. anti-government protests and left as soon as the He said that despite the
has been shot in the leg. The uniformed police were on foreign conspiracies. chanting began. qualification of Iran's na-
"Oh my God, she's bleed- just one of several security The crash of the Ukraine In- Iran's Foreign Ministry sum- tional team for the 2020
ing nonstop!" one person forces deployed in large ternational Airlines jet early moned the British ambas- Tokyo Olympics after years
shouts. Another shouts: numbers after Iran belat- Wednesday killed all 176 sador on Sunday to protest of effort, "there is no energy
"Bandage it!" edly admitted to shooting people on board, mostly what it said was his pres- left in our sad and desper-
Photos and video after down the Ukrainian jetliner. Iranians and Iranian-Cana- ence at an illegal event. ate souls to celebrate."
the incident show pools of Riot police in black uniforms dians. For three days, Ira- Britain summoned Iran's Another video making the
blood on the sidewalk. and helmets gathered ear- nian officials ruled out any ambassador on Monday rounds showed the nation-
Tehran's police chief, Gen. lier Sunday in Vali-e Asr strike on the plane, suggest- "to convey our strong ob- al symbol of Iran, four cres-
Hossein Rahimi, later de- Square, at Tehran University ing the crash of Flight 752 jections" over the weekend cents and a sword, in the
nied his officers opened and other landmarks. Rev- was caused by a technical arrest. shape of a water lily flying
fire. olutionary Guard members failure. Only on Saturday Prime Minister Boris John- through what appeared
"Police treated people patrolled the city on motor- did authorities acknowl- son's spokesman, James to be a 1980s-style video
who had gathered with bikes, and plainclothes se- edge shooting it down, as Slack, said the detention of game like "Galaga." Music
patience and tolerance," curity men were also out in evidence mounted and Ambassador Rob Macaire chimes when it touches oil
Iranian media quoted Ra- force. Riot police and other after Western leaders ac- was "an unacceptable as it fires on symbols repre-
himi as saying. "Police did security forces could be cused Iran of culpability. breach of the Vienna Con- senting people, knowledge
not shoot in the gatherings seen on the streets of Teh- Iranians have expressed vention." and ultimately an airplane.
since broad-mindedness ran on Monday as well. anger over the down- "We are seeking full as- "To be continued," the cap-
and restraint has been the The Guard has been ac- ing of the plane and the surances from the Iranian tion at the end of the clip
agenda of the police forc- cused of opening fire on misleading explanations government that it will nev- reads.q