Riots continue as Iranian protesters try to break into government building

Protesters in Iran tried to break into a local government building in the southern province of Fars, on the fourth day of demonstrations triggered by the collapse of the currency.

Three police officers in the city of Fassa were injured and four arrested, officials said.

Clashes were also reported in the western provinces of Hamadan and Lorestan.

Authorities in the capital, Tehran, declared Wednesday a bank holiday in an apparent attempt to quell unrest.

In a video that appeared on social media and confirmed by the BBC, a group of people were filmed breaking through the door of Governor Fasa’s office.

Then, in another post, security guards can be seen firing shots in response. Tear gas was fired in front of closed shops.

Schools, universities and public institutions across the country are closed due to a last-minute public holiday declared by the Iranian government.

Ostensibly this is to save energy due to cold weather, but many Iranians believe it is an attempt to curb the protests.

They started in Tehran on Sunday, where shopkeepers were angry that Iran’s currency had fallen sharply against the dollar again on the open market.

By Tuesday, university students were participating and it had spread to several cities, with people chanting against the country’s religious rulers.

They are the most widespread protests since the 2022 uprising sparked by the death in custody of young woman Mahsa Amini, who was accused by moral police of not wearing the hijab properly. But they are not on the same scale.

In order to prevent the situation from escalating, tight security measures are currently in place in the area of ​​Tehran where the demonstrations began.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said his government would listen to the protesters’ “legitimate demands.”

But Attorney General Mohamed Mowahedi-Azad also warned that any attempt to sow instability would be met with what he called a “decisive response”.