Protest activity is growing in Iran, covering more and more regions of the country — mass media

Protest activity is growing in Iran, covering more and more regions of the country. This is reported by the Iran International agency.

According to the information, last Sunday evening in the city of Karakzh, protesters set fire to a banner with images of the founder of the Islamic Revolution, Ruhollah Khomeini, and the current supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. The video of this incident quickly spread on social networks.

Advisor to the mayor of Tehran, Abdollah Ganji, despite the ongoing protests, said that the police show restraint and do not use weapons. According to him, the law enforcement agencies follow the policy of "security control with tolerance and leniency." He also tried to reduce the scale of the protests, arguing that, with the exception of peaceful gatherings of traders in the bazaars of Tehran, the number of protesters did not exceed 150 people, the agency reports.

Meanwhile, the protests have spread to the student community. In some universities, such as Shiraz University, Isfahan University of Technology and Isfahan University, the exam dates have been moved forward by a week. The Shiraz University administration said that this decision was officially approved by the university's leadership in response to increased protest activity among students.

The human rights organization HRANA informs that the protests in the country have been going on for the eighth week in a row and have covered 78 cities located in 26 provinces. Protesters took to the streets of 222 settlements. Demonstrations, strikes and student unrest have become the main forms of protest.

According to official figures, 20 people were killed during the clashes, of which 19 were civilians and one was a representative of the security forces. Another 51 people were injured, mostly from rubber and shotgun bullets.

The protests began with the demands of workers and specialists, but then turned into mass street actions and student demonstrations, in which there were calls for a change of the political regime.

The country's authorities have decided to restrict access to the Internet in several regions. Since Saturday evening, communication has deteriorated significantly or has been completely disconnected in places with the most active protests. Users complain of serious problems with messaging and video uploading. Similar reports are coming from Asadobad, Kermanshah, Dezful, Malekshahi, Mallard, Marvdasht, Kuhdasht, Borazjan, Mashhad, Shiraz and some districts of Tehran. Restrictions mainly concern local territories and are most strictly applied in areas with high protest activity.