There have been demonstrations in several parts of north-west Iran, with thousands of ethnic Azeris protesting at a newspaper cartoon. Reports from the cities of Ardebil, Naqadeh and Meshkin Shahr say Iranian security forces fired on demonstrators, killing at least five people. Dozens of others were injured and hundreds arrested.Azeris are the largest ethnic minority in Iran, and the cartoon caused outrage among those who believed it suggested that all Azeris were stupid.
Thousands of people took to the streets in protest and, shortly afterwards, the newspaper was shut down and its editor arrested. But that did not quell the anger. In the latest protests on Saturday, government buildings were targeted, and a number of banks and television stations burnt down.
| A week of riots, and the Teheran gov't can't quite seem to get things under control. How interesting ... |