Pull-out ends campus fight

Press, 23 April 1980, Page 8

Pull-out ends campus fight

NZPA-Reuter Teheran Supporters of Iran’s Leftwing Fedayeen movement yesterday evacuated Teheran University after a day of fierce clashes with Islamic fundamentalists who fought to oust them from the! campus. The Leftists left their political offices at the university in the early hours, shortly before President Abolhassan Bani-Sadr and the Revolutionary Council were expected to arrive to enforce a Government order banning political activity in the university. Three people were killed and at least 350 wounded by bullets, knives, stones, and clubs in Monday’s fighting. President Bani-Sadr said: "Sisters and brothers, the last group has obeyed the order of the Revolutionary Council, and now no-one is at the university. I wish this had been done yesterday morning and no clash had taken place.” Thousands of people converged on the campus to hear Mr Bani-Sadr speak. Revolutionary Guards patrolled the roadway outside the Left-wing headquarters

i where the Fedayeen and: - their supporters on Monday t held out against a barrage of i stones thrown by the crowds l under cover of firing by the : Guards. Mr Bani-Sadr blamed the ■! Fedayeen for the clashes. The official Pars news agency, which carried the death and casualty figures, also quoted unconfirmed re- . ports that 20 people had died in the Teheran clashes, the worst violence seen in the city since Muslim fundamentalists launched an assault on liberal parties and newspapers last (northern) summer. Two of the dead and many other casualties were reported to have been shot, although Pars did not say who had shot them. Most of the fundamentalists were wielding knives and clubs and did not appear to be students. Pars said that 500 people had been injured on Monday in similar clashes in the southern city of Shiraz, the third successive day of campus violence there. Fighting was also reported ] in the western city of Merkanshah, and Pars said 20 people had been injured.