Huge Crowds of People Hold Rallies in Tehran to Denounce Riots, Acts of Sacrilege

Sunday, 25 September 2022 6:16 PM

People in the Iranian capital Tehran hold massive rallies on September 25, 2022, carrying placards and chanting slogans to denounce the latest riots that erupted in a number of cities over the past week. (via IRNA)

Huge crowds of people have taken to the streets in the Iranian capital Tehran to denounce acts of vandalism and desecration of Islamic sanctities by rioters over the past week following the death of a young Iranian woman after she was taken into a police station.

The protesters carried placards and chanted slogans on Sunday to strongly condemn the evil acts committed by a handful of mercenaries serving foreign enemies, who set fire to the Holy Qur’an, mosques, and the national flags and forcefully removed women’s headscarves on the streets.

Sunday protesters in Tehran carried national flags and placards, chanting slogans against the foreign-backed rioters, the United States and Israel, as well as Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) anti-Iran terrorist group.

The protesters also announced their unwavering support for the police force and measures they have taken to restore calm across the country following days of violent riots. They gave flowers to police personnel along the path of the demonstration.

They strongly condemn the acts of sabotage committed by a handful of mercenaries serving foreign enemies, who set fire to mosques and the national flag, and forcefully removed women’s headscarves in the streets.

The Iranian administration's spokesman, Ali Bahadori Jahromi, was among officials attending the rallies in Tehran.

The demonstrators also held a funeral procession for a member of the Basij force who was killed by rioters in Tehran while trying to restore security to the capital city.

At the end of the demonstration, the participants issued a statement calling on all concerned officials to take necessary measures to identify and punish those rioters who insulted people’s sanctities and damaged public property.

They also asked for the punishment of all those who spread false information and rumors on various social media platform in a bid to add fuel to the fire of riots.

The massive protest in Tehran came after earlier in the day, millions of Iranians took to the streets across the nation to condemn the acts of vandalism and desecration of Islamic sanctities by rioters in the past few days after violent street protests erupted in several Iranian cities over the death of a young woman, who died at hospital days after collapsing at a police station in the capital Tehran.

Iranians are out on the streets across the country to denounce the latest desecration of Islamic sanctities and acts of vandalism by rioters during protests in a number of cities over the past week.

People took the streets in many cities and towns, including the holy city of Mashhad, the northwestern city of Qazvin, the central city of Esfahan as well as the western cities of Hamedan and Yasuj, to show their unity and outrage over the recent acts of sabotage perpetrated by rioters.

They strongly condemned the crimes and evil acts committed by a handful of mercenaries serving foreign enemies, who set fire to the Holy Qur’an, mosques, and the national flags and forcefully removed women’s headscarves on the streets, among other things.

Protests broke out in several Iranian cities over the September 16 death of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman who died at the hospital a few days after collapsing at a police station in the capital Tehran, where she and a group of others were receiving educational training on dress code rules.

Despite Iranian officials’ clarification on the circumstances surrounding Amini’s death, violent street protests have led to attacks on security officers and acts of vandalism against public property and sanctities.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi said on Saturday that those who have disrupted the security and peace of the country will be dealt with “decisively.” 

Speaking on Friday, Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the riots that have followed Amini's death, had nothing to do with the tragic event, stating that the issue was being exploited by rabble-rousers to instigate chaos and wreak havoc across the country.

Last week, Iranian police released CCTV footage, which shows Amini collapsing in the police station. The video rejected claims that she was beaten up, denying any physical contact with her.

Massoud Shirvani, a neurosurgeon, told IRIB TV2 television channel on September 20 that the deceased woman had a brain tumor removed at the age of 8.

“Mahsa Amini was treated with drugs after the surgery under the supervision of an endocrinologist,” the physician said.