Alwaght- Iranians have taken to the streets in major cities across the country for a third consecutive day to reiterate support for the Islamic establishment and condemn foreign-backed seditionist who engaged in scattered riots.
Demonstrators rallied in the capital Tehran and the cities of Tabriz, Sari and Kerman to denounce violence by those who infiltrated peaceful protests to turn them into scenes of confrontation and attack on public property.
Similar demonstrations were also held in major cities and towns all over Iran on Wednesday and Thursday.
They carried national flags which had been burnt by some rioters in recent days as well as placards denouncing foreign support for the unrest as they shouted slogans against the US, the Israeli regime and Saudi Arabia.
Peaceful protests against recent price hikes and the overall economic conditions last Thursday degenerated into violent melee by certain elements who were armed at times, running amok in a few towns.
The turmoil marked rioters leading fire engines in one city into the crowd of people, killing two bystanders, and attacking a police station elsewhere.
Over a dozen people were killed in the turmoil, including police. According to officials, some of the fatalities came even as security forces did not fire a single bullet. They said some rioters used shotguns and pistols to attack police and fire at the crowd of protesters.
The riots were openly backed by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “A voice that speaks on behalf of Trump and Netanyahu does not belong to the [Iranian] nation,” Tehran Friday Prayers leader Sayyed Ahmad Khatami told worshipers ahead of the rallies.
Some Western and Arab media outlets tried to portray the recent protests as a political uprising against the Establishment.
Iranian officials maintain that people have the right to stage protests to express their opinions, as long as rallies comply with the legal conditions.
According to Article 27 of the Iranian Constitution, “public gatherings and marches are allowed so long as the participants do not carry arms and are not in violation of the fundamental principles of Islam.”
