Government supporters rally in Iran after protests

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Tens of thousands of government supporters have turned out in a show of support to the Iranian government after two days of protests against the authorities.

State television showed huge crowds of black-clad supporters gathering on Saturday in the capital Tehran, second city Mashhad and elsewhere to mark the anniversary of the end of "the sedition" – the last major unrest that followed disputed elections in 2009.

On the previous two days, demonstrators had chanted anti-government slogans in several cities across the country as price protests turned into open dissent aimed at the country's religious rulers.

Middle East analyst Raman Ghavami tweets footage showing government supporters rally in Iran's second largest city Mashhad, December 30, 2017. /Twitter Screenshot

Videos on social media showed hundreds marching through the holy city of Qom on Friday evening, with people chanting "Death to the dictator" and "Free political prisoners."

There were even chants in favor of the monarchy toppled by the Islamic Revolution of 1979, while others criticized the government for supporting the Palestinians and other regional movements rather than focusing on problems at home.

Footage of large-scale protests were shared from the cities of Rasht, Hamedan, Kermanshah, Qazvin and elsewhere, with police responding with water cannons.

Middle East analyst Raman Ghavami tweeted footage showing government supporters rallying in Ahwaz in southwest Iran on Saturday. /Twitter Screenshot

Trump warns Iran: The world is watching

While state television focused entirely on the pre-planned pro-government rallies on Saturday, officials nonetheless warned against dismissing the public anger seen in recent days.

"The country is facing serious challenges with unemployment, high prices, corruption, lack of water, social gap, unbalanced distribution of budget," wrote Hesamoddin Ashena, cultural adviser to President Hassan Rouhani, on Twitter. "People have the right for their voice to be heard."

An Iranian official said on Friday that 52 people had been arrested at the protests in Mashhad for chanting "harsh slogans."

The United States condemned the arrests, warning Tehran that "the world is watching."

President Hassan Rouhani of Iran /VCG Photo

"Many reports of peaceful protests by Iranian citizens fed up with regime's corruption and its squandering of the nation's wealth to fund terrorism abroad," US President Donald Trump tweeted late Friday.

"Iranian govt should respect their people's rights, including right to express themselves," he wrote. "The world is watching!"

Since taking power in 2013, Rouhani has sought to clean up the banking sector and kickstart the economy, but many say progress has been too slow.

Although conservatives have fiercely criticized him for the country's economic failings, they were already moving on Saturday to distinguish economic protests from wider attacks on the authorities.

"The people who are protesting are vigilant and distance themselves from enemies of the system," said Mohsen Rezai, former Revolutionary Guards commander, on his Instagram page.

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Source(s): AFP