Police crack down on bus drivers’ protest in Iran capital

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, May 02 – Iran’s State Security Forces (SSF) and special anti-riot police attacked a peaceful demonstration by bus drivers and conductors in the Iranian capital on Monday on the occasion of International Workers’ Day, eye-witnesses told Iran Focus in an email interview. Iran Focus

Tehran, Iran, May 02 – Iran’s State Security Forces (SSF) and special anti-riot police attacked a peaceful demonstration by bus drivers and conductors in the Iranian capital on Monday on the occasion of International Workers’ Day, eye-witnesses told Iran Focus in an email interview.

Close to a 1,000 protestors gathered on Monday outside the Tehran Bus Company (TBC) headquarters to protest against the arrest and sacking of many of their colleagues for taking part in protests against the government in recent months.

The demonstration began at just after 9 a.m. with several hundred transit workers and a handful of students taking part, according to a student who had joined the protest.

Soon after, many more students joined the demonstration in unity with the transit workers. They began to chant anti-government slogans and held up banners demanding the release of jailed transit workers.

As agents of the SSF detained several students and cordoned off the streets around the TBC building, the protest grew louder and more unruly

At 12.30 the orders came to arrest or disperse the demonstrators. Agents of the SSF and anti-riot police used electric batons to attack the protestors. Several transit workers fell to the ground after being struck at with the batons.

Several transit workers and a dozen students were arrested in the ensuing clashes.

Iranian authorities launched a heavy crackdown on the transit workers in January, arresting large numbers of bus drivers who had decided to go on strike.

In February, agents of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), the country’s secret police, conducted night raids into the homes of striking bus drivers and workers in Tehran, arresting more than a thousand people on political charges.