Iranian cities rocked by ‘Marxist-Islamic' riots

Press, 15 August 1978, Page 9

Iranian cities rocked by ‘Marxist-Islamic' riots

'NZPA Teheran A bomb has exploded in a [Teheran restaurant injuring l I about 40 in the latest inci-; dent in a genera! revolt that, has rocked the big cities of; Iran in the last six days. The restaurant is fre-i quented by Americans and five of the injured people 'were in critical condition. j A man entered the res-! , taurant when it was filled to! (capacity with about 200 people, left a package in the! centre of the dining room.: and left. Immediately afterwards, there was an explosion. No arrests were made tm-' mediately, and there was no 1 indication of who was res- 1 ponsible for the blast. Strife in Iran’s big citiesi( in the last few days has been;) marked by bloody clashes/ with the police and the/ sacking of shops and banks.!' Ispahan (Esfahan), where! martial law was imposed fol-!' lowing rioting on Thursday!' and Friday, and Shiraz were ' the hardest hit in the vio-p lence, although uprisings,' 'were also reported in some!: 1 20 other towns and in parts (I of the capital. I<

The police used tear-gas : grenades on occasion when called in to control demon- ; strators in towns such as Abaden, Ahvaz Arak. Ardabil, Arsenaian, Kashan. Kerman-, shah, Khorramabad, Qazvin. [and Tabriz, the local press! I reported. Demonstrations were also, reported to have taken place; .on Thursday and Friday in; (several areas of southern; Teheran. No casualty toll was im-.| mediately available, nor was! it known how many arrests! had been made. In most areas, the demonstrations began at local mosques where crowds are heavy during the month of Ramadan. After evening services groups ranging in size from 200 to 'several thousand people 'surged into the street shout-; jing “anti-national slogans,” according to the press. ! The crowds broke bank,! 'shop, and cinema windows' (before clashing with police; (as they moved through the! i towns. ; Persian-language dailies! (said that dozens of bank branches had been the target! of predominantly teenage!

s'protesters. Shops had also; i been hit as well as city parks,! ■ where trees were set on fire,; s the newspapers reported. •I The rector of Azarabadeganj ■(University at Tabriz can-) • celled summer classes and; ; jthreatened to shut down the! i establishment entirely after '(two days of solidarity de-' ' t monstrations by students! '(with the Ispahan rioting vic-; ' i tints. ■ ‘ Groups of faithful broke! (the curfew on Thursday; /night in Ispahan in order to '(pray in the streets, but they! (were dispersed by authori-! (ties. The Ispahan martial-law administrator, General Reza; Nadji, blamed the rioting on ' “Marxist-Islamic” elements.; He announced that the heavy /Chieftain tanks in use would be replaced by lighter (armoured vehicles. I Bazaars were closed in (several towns, including Ispahan, Shiraz, Qom, Tabriz, (Kashan, and parts of Teheran. [According to General Nadji, the bazaar shop keepers ; closed down from fear of (“Marxist” reprisals. He (promised them police protection.