Security forces attacked a peaceful a Thursday protest gathering of teachers held outside the ministry of education in the central city of Isfahan.
Iran’s Free Labor Union (FLU) reported on Thursday the state security forces fired tear gas and pepper spray into a rally of teachers protesting low wages, poor living conditions and skyrocketing prices.
A video circulated on social media shows the aftermath of tear gas used by security forces against the protesters.
#Iran Dec 27-Isfahan
Reports say the state security forces fired fire tear gas & pepper spray into a rally of teachers some retired, protesting low wages, poor living conditions & skyrocketing prices. pic.twitter.com/jY7BrNlbIM— IRAN HRM (@IranHrm) December 27, 2018
Reports say police arrested dozens of protesters, though the figures are still not exact.
Dec 27 – Isfahan, central #Iran
Source says a large number of teachers were protesting low wages, poor living conditions & skyrocketing prices. The authorities resorted to severe crackdown measures. A number of protesters have been arrested, sources say. pic.twitter.com/YPXms1syrF— IRAN HRM (@IranHrm) December 27, 2018
In another video, the state police heard threatening to fire more tear gas into the crowd of teachers holding a peaceful rally.
Dec 27 – Isfahan, central #Iran
State police heard threatening to fire more tear gas into the crowd of teachers holding a peaceful rally.
Source says a number of teachers were arrested today in the rally outside the city's education department. pic.twitter.com/CJhmBiNIyz— IRAN HRM (@IranHrm) December 27, 2018
From the very beginning of the gathering outside the city’s Education Department, Iranian authorities had already dispatched large number of anti-riot units to the scene and stationed a variety of security forces at the pre-planned in advance.
The teachers, some retired, held their rally Thursday in Isfahan’s Hasht-e Behesht Avenue outside the regime’s Education Department. Based on a previous call, the teachers were protesting low wages, demanding the release of jailed colleagues, regulating and equalizing retirement pensions, and other demands.
Videos circulating on social media showed teachers chanting, “A nation has never seen such injustice.”
Another video shows a teacher complaining to a reporter holding a microphone from Iran’s state-run TV.
“You talk as if you don’t live in this society. You ask me to talk about my financial condition. Don’t you see it? Are we living in Paris?” the teacher asked sarcastically.
“We are part of a society where 90% of the people live under the line of poverty. Now you want me to talk about my condition? You’re show is a farce,” the angry teacher added.
Teachers groups have frequently held protests in Iran in the past two years, because of low salaries and substandard schools.
Their demands including an increase in wages and an improvement in their livelihood conditions and insurance, and the release of detained teachers, have yet to be met.
Source » iran-hrm