Five Dead, Hundreds Arrested in Iran Fire
Festival
March 15, 2006
Middle East Times
metimes.com
link to original article
TEHRAN
-- At least five people have been killed and
hundreds injured in an annual fire festival
before the Iranian New Year, the media
reported on Wednesday. Some 841 were injured
in different places in Iran from the
explosion of homemade firebombs and
firecrackers despite the police threatening
to arrest anyone who threw explosives.
The student ISNA agency said that the police
have arrested 174 people, who will have to
stay in jail until the end of the New Year
holidays, which begin on March 21 and last
for two weeks.
On the eve of the last Wednesday of the
year, Iranians celebrate a pre-Islamic
ritual (Chahar-shanbe Soori) by fireworks
and jumping over bonfires in the streets.
After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the
regime - until recent years - did not
recognize Chahar-shanbe Soori and sought to
prevent people from celebrating the
"superstitious" ritual.
The ceremony has always seen clashes between
the police and youths who, undaunted by the
warnings of arrest, turn it into a night of
celebrations and vandalism.
Iran
Fire Festival Passes Peacefully
March 15, 2006
Reuters
Aljazeera.net
link to original article
A pre-Islamic fire festival passed off
relatively peaceful in Iran, void of the
usual clashes between police and youthful
revellers. In previous years, Iran's Islamic
government has sought to stop youths
lighting bonfires and fireworks for the
ancient Zoroastrian feast of Chaharshanbe
Souri.
The festival took place on the last Tuesday
night before the Iranian New Year on 21
March with specific areas in Tehran
allocated to ensure the fireworks passed off
more safely and, in many areas across the
country, police simply stood by passively
watching exuberant youths rather than
clashing with them.
"(Last year) they closed the street and shot
teargas into the crowd," said 18-year-old
Omid, who on Tuesday night was mingling with
a group of teenagers of both sexes.
'Pagan'
dilemma
In Tehran's Taleghani park families gathered
to watch the pyrotechnics.
"The police want to take part in the
people's festival and prevent accidents at
the same time," Mehdi Ahmadi, a spokesman
for the police, said ahead of Tuesday's
celebrations.
The Islamic Republic has an awkward
relationship with its ancient Zoroastrian
religion, whose festivals are widely
observed by Muslim Iranians.
Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, the
government has usually tried to crack down
on what it perceives as pagan partying,
prompting clashes between police and youths
testing the boundaries of Iran's social
restrictions.
But analysts say since the election of
conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
last year, hardliners who opposed the
liberal policies of former President
Mohammad Khatami may have less need to flex
their muscles.
People
power
Others say the authorities do not want to
alienate the people during Tehran's
stand-off with the West over its nuclear
ambitions.
"The situation dictates that the
conservatives should not irritate the people
while they face the nuclear dispute," said
Ebrahim Yazdi, the leader of the Freedom
Movement, a banned liberal party. "They seem
to have understood that their pressurising
methods are pointless in social fields."
The government launched a campaign to
prevent the usual injuries and television
and newspapers showed grim pictures of
people injured in previous years.
"Tehran prosecutor's office does not oppose
the happiness but ... it will confront those
who intend to abuse the excitement and the
traditions of the people," read a statement
from the prosecutor general.
State media on Wednesday said five people
had been killed and more than 300 injured in
revelling across the country, significantly
less than previous years
However a few revellers said that some of
the fun had actually been taken out of the
festival now that the authorities were more
accepting.
"It is not much fun if there is no trouble
doing it," said Avesta, 19, throwing a
cracker into a crowd of shrieking teenage
girls. "This is not so bad though. We mingle
with the girls and shoot fireworks and
crackers.”
Effigies of Iran’s Supreme Leader set on
fire in demos
Tehran, Iran, Mar. 14 –
Anti-government demonstrations erupted
across the Iranian capital as well as in
towns and cities across the country as young
people used the annual Persian “fire
festival” to ignite fireworks and set cars
belonging to the State Security Forces (SSF)
on fire, dissidents told Iran Focus.
In the south-western city of Ahwaz
protestors constructed an effigy of Iran’s
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and
set it on fire.
Similar anti-government demonstrations by
young people celebreating the fire festival
have been reported in Garmsar (south-east of
Tehran) and Rafsanjan (southern) Iran.
Posters of officials set fire to in Iran
Tehran, Iran,
Mar. 14 – Furious people set on fire posters
of hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad and former Iranian leader
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini during extensive
demonstrations in the western city of
Khorramabad as “fire” festivals across the
country continued well into the night.
The following is a photo obtained by Iran
Focus from activists inside Khorramabad.
During the traditional Persian fire
festival, known as ‘chaharshanbeh souri’ –
literally, Feast of Wednesday – people jump
over bonfires to “drive away evil”. Since
the 1979 Islamic Revolution, however, Iran’s
theocratic leaders have made strenuous
efforts to stamp out the festivities, but to
no avail. In recent years, there have been
extensive clashes between festive crowds and
the security forces deployed to prevent
street celebrations.
Youths set fire to posters of Khamenei in
Iran capital
Tehran,
Iran, Mar. 14 – Young people set fire to
pictures of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei and former leader Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran, according to
dissidents in the Iranian capital who sent a
photo of their activities to Iran Focus.
Protestors gathered and burned down posters
of Iranian leaders hung on lampposts in
Mirdamad Street in Tehran.
Despite a massive crackdown to prevent this
year’s “fire festival” from turning into
scenes of anti-governments protests, young
people have taken to the streets across Iran
to defy the government ban and celebrate the
last Tuesday of the Persian year with a big
bang.
During the festival, known as ‘chaharshanbeh
souri’ – literally, Feast of Wednesday –
people jump over bonfires to “drive away
evil”. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution,
however, Iran’s theocratic leaders have made
strenuous efforts to stamp out the
festivities, but to no avail. In recent
years, there have been extensive clashes
between festive crowds and the security
forces deployed to prevent street
celebrations. This year the event falls on
March 14.
Iran’s main opposition group, the Mojahedin-e
Khalq (MeK), has issued an appeal to people
across the country to take part in the
celebrations on the night and turn it into
an anti-government protest.
Already steps have been taken to prevent
widespread protests from flaring during the
traditional Persian festival celebrated by
Iranians for over 2,500 years.
In Iran, a long night of fiery protests
Tehran,
Iran, Mar. 15 – Iranians in the capital and
across the country took part in a night of
fiery celebrations that in many places
turned into anti-government protests and
clashes.
In central Tehran several vehicles belonging
to the State Security Forces and a number of
government buildings were attacked and set
on fire.
The following photos were transmitted by
local news agencies:
Tehran,
Iran, Mar. 15 – Iranians in the capital and
across the country took part in a night of
fiery celebrations that in many places
turned into anti-government protests and
clashes.
In central Tehran several vehicles belonging
to the State Security Forces and a number of
government buildings were attacked and set
on fire.
The following photos were transmitted by
local news agencies:
