• Tweeter

  • republish

Gas station burned by protesters during protest against rising gas prices in Eslamshahr, near the Iranian capital, Teheran, November 17, 2019. AFP

The protests continued Sunday against the rise in the price of gas with several deaths. According to the Fars news agency, close to the conservatives, 1,000 people have been arrested since Friday and hundreds of banks and shops, but also police stations were burned.

With our correspondent in Tehran, Siavosh Ghazi

Rising gas prices have been the only subject of Iranian conversation for three days. Discontent is general, as Mozafar, a 60-year-old taxi driver who does not understand the government's decision, explains: " Before I paid twenty liters of gas 20,000 toumans, today I have to pay 60,000 toumans. That is, an increase of more than 200%. If the government wants to raise the price of gasoline, it can increase it by 200 toumans, three hundred toumans, five hundred toumans, not 2,000 toumans at a time. Imagine a store salesman, he buys your expensive petrol, and you also sell your products more expensive even if the government puts as many agents as he wants to control prices. "

The rise in the price of gasoline causes widespread anger, especially since President Rohani did not explain the reasons for this measure. For Majid, a 30-year-old store salesman, this measure is unjustifiable.
" This year, how many times have prices gone up ? Is it fair to raise the price of gas too? He has to go back on that decision. Do you think that Iran is a poor country to do such a thing. We are among the ten richest countries in the world. Look at the state of the population. "

The Iranians are not fleeing while inflation has already reached 50% because of US sanctions. The rise in the price of gasoline was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

■ Vincent Eiffling analysis

According to local human rights organizations, dozens of protesters were reported killed, dozens more arrested by law enforcement officials. The official figures, they report two deaths, a police officer and one. According to Vincent Eiffling, associate researcher at the Center for the Study of Crises and International Conflicts at the Catholic University of Louvain, repression is likely to intensify if this mobilization continues.

I do not expect that there will be a disappearance of demonstrations in the coming days ...

"The repression may intensify" 17/11/2019 - by Oriane Verdier Listen

This unprecedented mobilization is the result of several years of protests, says Vincent Eiffling.

There are very often in Iran manifestations of certain trades ...

"The realization of several years of events" 17/11/2019 - by Oriane Verdier Listen