Protesters in Tehran to condemn government ‘lies’ on downed jet
Hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets in Iran’s capital, Tehran, to vent anger at officials, calling them liars for having denied shooting down a Ukrainian passenger plane.
Protests took place outside at least two universities, with tear gas reportedly fired.
Students gathered outside at least two universities, Sharif and Amir Kabir, reports said, initially to pay respect to the victims. Protests turned angry in the evening.
The semi-official Fars news agency carried a rare report of the unrest, saying up to 1,000 people had chanted slogans against leaders and tore up pictures of Soleimani.
Britain’s ambassador to Iran was arrested during protests in Tehran after the country admitted it had “unintentionally” shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane.
Rob Macaire was detained on suspicion of organising, provoking and directing radical actions, with hostility towards Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei having grown since the announcement earlier on Saturday.
Mr Macaire was released after more than an hour in custody as the demonstrations went on
US President Donald Trump tweeted support for the “inspiring” protests.
Iran on Saturday admitted downing the jet “unintentionally”, three days after the crash that killed 176 people.
Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752, en route to Kyiv, was shot down on Wednesday near Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran shortly after take-off, and only hours after Iran had fired missiles at two air bases housing US forces in Iraq.
Those attacks were Iran’s response to the US killing of senior Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad on 3 January.
Dozens of Iranians and Canadians, as well as nationals from Ukraine, the UK, Afghanistan and Germany died on the plane.
