From the BBC:
“Iran plane crash: Protesters
condemn '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. 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 Sweden died on the plane.
What happened at the protests?
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. Students
had gathered outside Amir Kabir university to pay tribute to the victims The students called for those responsible for
the downing the plane, and those they said had covered up the action, to be
prosecuted. Chants included "commander-in-chief resign", referring to
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and "death to liars". Fars said police
had "dispersed" the protesters, who were blocking roads. Social media
footage appeared to show tear gas being fired. Social media users also vented
anger at the government's actions. One wrote on Twitter: "I will never
forgive the authorities in my country, the people who were on the scene and
lying." The protests were, however, far smaller than the mass
demonstrations across Iran in support of Soleimani after he was killed.
What has been the reaction?
President Trump tweeted in both
English and Farsi, saying: "To the brave and suffering Iranian people: I
have stood with you since the beginning of my presidency and my government will
continue to stand with you. "We are following your protests closely. Your
courage is inspiring." Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted video of the
protests in Iran, saying: "The voice of the Iranian people is clear. They
are fed up with the regime's lies, corruption, ineptitude, and brutality of the
IRGC [Revolutionary Guards] under Khamenei's kleptocracy. We stand with the
Iranian people who deserve a better future." Ukraine's Oleksiy Danilov:
"We already had enough to show...what really happened here" The UK's
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab issued an angry statement after British
ambassador Rob Macaire was arrested "without grounds or explanation"
in a "flagrant violation of international law" at one of the protests
in Tehran. Mr Macaire was detained at the demonstration outside Amir Kabir and
was later released. Mr Raab said Iran could "continue its march towards
pariah status... or take steps to de-escalate tensions and engage in a
diplomatic path forwards".
How did the Iranian admission
unfold?
For three days, Iran had denied
reports its missiles had brought down the plane, with one spokesman accusing
Western nations of "lying and engaging in psychological warfare". But
on Saturday morning, a statement read on state TV accepted the plane had been
shot down. Brig-Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace
commander, explained what happened. He said a missile operator had acted
independently and alone, mistaking the plane for a "cruise missile"
as there had been reports that such missiles had been fired at Iran. "He
had 10 seconds to decide. He could have decided to strike or not to strike and
under such circumstances he took the wrong decision," Gen Hajizadeh said. "He
was obliged to make contact and get verification. But apparently, his
communications system had some disruptions." Gen Hajizadeh said the
military would upgrade its systems to prevent such "mistakes" in the
future. He said he had "wished he was dead" after being told of the
missile strike. Gen Hajizadeh said he had informed the authorities about what
had happened on Wednesday, raising questions about why Iran had denied
involvement for so long. Ayatollah Khamenei said there was "proof of human
error", while President Hassan Rouhani said Iran "deeply regrets this
disastrous mistake". Foreign Minister Javad Zarif laid part of the blame
on the US. "Human error at a time of crisis caused by US adventurism led
to [this] disaster," he said.
How have Canada and Ukraine
reacted?
Both Ukrainian President
Volodomyr Zelensky and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Mr
Rouhani on Saturday. Mr Trudeau said he was "outraged and furious"
and had told Mr Rouhani that there must be a full investigation with "full
clarity on how such a horrific tragedy could have occurred". Trudeau:
"We need full clarity on how such a horrific tragedy could have
occurred" Mr Trudeau said: "Canada will not rest until we get the
accountability, justice and closure the families deserve... they are hurt,
angry and grieving and they want answers." Mr Zelensky, who has demanded
compensation and an apology, said Mr Rouhani had assured him that "all
persons involved in this air disaster will be brought to justice". In the
Canadian city of Edmonton, Pegah Salari is helping to organise a memorial
service for the victims from the city on Sunday. She says the latest admission by Iran means
"now it's more than grief", first felt in the Iranian-Canadian
community there. "It's anger, frustration," she said. Many on the plane were living there, including
10 people - faculty members, students, and alumni - from the University of
Alberta. Ms Salari is openly critical
and distrustful of the Iranian government and is watching news of the protests
in Iran with both trepidation and hope. There
are some in the Iranian diaspora in Canada who support the government in
Tehran, which can cause tension, she said. For the moment, that has been set aside, Ms
Salari says. "It's not a political
matter, it has nothing to do with economics. This for the first time is a human
tragedy and all those lost lives has brought people closer and opened some
eyes."
^ It’s good to see the real Iranians
(not the ones forced by the Government) out in the streets calling for the ones
in power who both shot down the plane and killed innocent people and those in
power who tried to cover-up the attack to step down and be held responsible for
their crimes. This action shows that there is hope inside Iran and that if the
Iranian people have their way they could get rid of their dictatorship and rejoin
the international community once again. ^
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