Iran arrests anti-inflation demonstrators

The Iranian authorities arrested 52 demonstrators on Thursday in the city of Mashhad and other areas, an official revealed yesterday. Those arrested were taking part in protests against inflationary price rises in the country.

Hundreds of people took to the streets in Mashhad, an important religious centre, chanting slogans against the government of President Hassan Rouhani. They accused Rouhani of failing to deal with the economic crisis.

According to AFP, the head of the Revolutionary Court in Mashhad, Hussein Haidari, said that the authorities arrested the demonstrators for chanting “abusive slogans”. Demonstrations are the people’s right, he explained, but the authorities have to consider other people’s feelings.

Apart from chanting “Death to Rouhani”, the protestors also called for Iran’s issues to be prioritised over Gaza and Lebanon. Analysts say that this is an indication of the Iranians’ anger with their country’s concerns about regional issues instead of concentrating on improving the situation inside the country.