Iranian demonstrations: A paramilitary speaker is booed by the students

In a recent online video, schoolgirls are allegedly seen jeering at a member of Iran’s dreaded Basij paramilitary force after widespread anti-government protests reached the classroom.

When the man asked to speak to them, the teenagers waved their burqas in the air and yelled, “Get lost, Basiji.”

Although the BBC was unable to confirm it, it was reportedly shot in Shiraz on Tuesday.

The Basij’s assistance was instrumental in quelling the demonstrations that were sparked by the death of a young woman while in custody.

In other social media videos, a man can be heard shouting “death to the dictator” as a group of girls cross the street in the northwest city of Sanandaj, and an elderly woman can be seen clapping as schoolgirls in skimpy clothing chant “freedom, freedom, freedom” in a public demonstration.

Iran’s minister of education, Yousef Nouri, asserted on Wednesday that schools were being attacked by the “enemy.”

Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the prosecutor general, said that because the young Iranians have been “trapped” by the internet, authorities must be prepared to handle their protests.

The two men were speaking as Iran’s Human Rights Activists News Agency (Harana) shared a video that appeared to show uniformed and plainclothes security personnel pushing a group of schoolgirl protesters in Tehran’s main square.

Another video, which appears to have been shot in the nearby city of Karaj, depicts schoolgirls screaming and running away from a man riding a motorcycle along a pavement while wearing plain clothes and is thought to be a member of the security forces. The man is also thought to be the one in the other video.

 

FAQ

 

• What did school girls say to the man in the classroom?

Ans. They waved their headscarves in the air and shouted, “Get lost, Basiji.” 

 

• Where the school girls are in the street for anti-government protests?

Ans. Sanandaj, a northwest city. 

 

• Who is Iran’s minister of education?

Ans. Yousef Nouri.