Pro-government rallies span Iran amid civil unrest
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iranian counterprotesters gathered Friday across the country in a show of support for authorities after nearly a week of anti-government protests and unrest over the death of a woman who was being held by the morality police.
A few thousand people attended a rally in the capital, Tehran, where they waved Iranian flags, and similar demonstrations were held in other cities. The government claimed the demonstrations of support were spontaneous. Similar rallies have been held during past periods of widespread protests.
The pro-government demonstrators chanted against America and Israel, according to state media, reflecting the official line that blames the latest unrest on hostile foreign countries.
State TV, meanwhile, suggested the death toll from this week’s unrest could be as high as 35.
Iran has also disrupted internet access and tightened restrictions on popular platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp, which can be used to organize rallies.
In response, the U.S. Treasury Department said it would allow American tech firms to expand their business in Iran to boost internet access for the Iranian people. Iran is under heavy U.S. and international sanctions.
A state TV anchor said Friday that 35 protesters and policemen had been killed since the protests erupted last week after the funeral of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, without elaborating. He said official statistics would be released later, but authorities have not provided a full accounting of deaths and injuries during past unrest.
A tally by The Associated Press, based on statements from state-run and semiofficial media, shows that at least 11 people have been killed. Most recently, the deputy governor of Qazvin, Abolhasan Kabiri, said a citizen and paramilitary officer had been killed there.
Raisi condemned the protests as he arrived back in Iran after addressing the United Nations General Assembly earlier this week.
“We have announced many times that if anyone has a fair comment, we will listen to it. But anarchy? Disturbing national security? The security of people? No one will succumb to this,” he said.
In the northwestern city of Neyshabur, protesters cheered over an overturned police car. Footage from Tehran and Mashhad shows women waving their obligatory headscarves, known as hijab, in the air like flags while chanting, “Freedom!”
Separately, hackers have targeted a number of government websites in recent days, taking some of them down at least briefly. On Friday, hackers interrupted Iran’s Channel 3 on a popular streaming website and played videos in support of the protests. Normal programming was restored a couple of minutes later.
The protests have grown into an open challenge to the theocracy established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Local officials have announced the arrest of dozens of protesters. Hasan Hosseinpour, deputy police chief in the northern Gilan province, reported 211 people detained there Thursday. The government of the western Hamadan province said 58 demonstrators had been arrested.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday at least 10 reporters have been arrested since the start of the protests, many of them during late night raids on their homes by security forces who did not identify themselves.