TEHRAN: Students protested in Tehran on Saturday in a third day ofdemonstrations sparked by anger over Iran’s economic problems, videos onsocial media showed, but were outnumbered by counter-demonstrators.
The pro-regime students shouted “Death to the seditionists” as they seizedback control of the entrance of the University of Tehran, videos publishedby several local news agencies showed.
It followed a relatively small protest by several dozen students, withvideos on social media showing scuffles with police and chants against theregime.
“The opportunists who wanted to benefit from the situation have beendispersed with the arrival of (the other) students,” theconservative-linked Tasnim news agency reported.
The numbers appeared to be smaller than demonstrations seen across othermajor towns and cities on Thursday and Friday, which had been sparked byhigh living costs but quickly turned against the Islamic regime as a whole.
The conservative-linked Fars news agency said “harsh chants” were heard atthe Tehran protests and that riot police had been dispatched to the scene.
“Unlike other protests in various cities which were against the economicsituation and high prices, the one in front of the University of Tehran waspolitical,” Fars said.
The students repeated a popular chant of “Not Gaza, not Lebanon, my lifefor Iran” — an expression of anger over claims the government is focusingmore on regional issues than problems at home.