Iran: Arak and Zanjan residents protest air pollution causing cancer On Saturday, August 17th, a large number of residents in the city of Arak (central Iran) took to the streets along with their children protesting air pollution and jamming signals transmitted by the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). The protesters rallied chanting anti-regime slogans. Fearing the spread of the demonstration, repressive forces including the IRGC anti-riot units, agents of the State Security Force and plainclothes agents had closed Arak University avenue and stationed outside the Khansari Hospital where cancer patients are hospitalized. Despite these measures the demonstration continued hours into the night. The widespread presence of women was significant in this protest rally. With the demonstration spreading, elements of the repressive forces attacked the protesters, arresting and transferring many to unknown locations while beating others with batons. The demonstrators, all wearing masks, called for the closure of the facility that caused the city’s high air pollution. They held placards written, “Help our children suffering from cancer”, “We want to stay alive” and “Clean air is our right”. In January 2013 the Majlis representative from Arak said in an unprecedented confession: The people of Arak, due to the Shazand power plant, spend 250 days out of 365 days in pollution and for this reason many people have been afflicted with cancer, 300 of which are in line for the hospital. The scope of this catastrophe is much greater than this. In the Shazand power plant instead of using gas, fuel oil is used and the power plant’s filtration system that is used for filtering the pollution arising from the produced gas, does not have the ability to filter the pollution that arises from fuel oil and so polluted smoke constantly spreads throughout the city. In the afternoon of Thursday, August 15th, ten thousand people in the city of Zanjan staged a protest against the pollution arising from the lead and zinc factory in this city. The people chanted: “Have no fear, have no fear, we are all together”, “Zealous townsman, unite, unite”, “We don’t want graphite and zinc, we want clean air”. This demonstration was staged outside the city’s grand mosque. The demonstrators called for the lead and zinc factory in this city to be shut down. Due to the activities and residue of this factory, the number of cancer cases has risen in an unprecedented manner amongst the city’s residents.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 22:59:36 +0000
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