Clash Between Municipal Officers and Street Vendors in Tehran

Following a clash between municipal officers tasked with clearing sidewalks and a number of street vendors, the municipality of District 2 in Tehran issued a statement identifying the perpetrators of this clash as "thugs and hooligans among the vendors." ISNA reported on Tuesday, February 16, images of this clash that occurred between the "Shahrban Harimban" officers and street vendors on Azadi Street, which has garnered significant attention on social media. Eyewitnesses stated that the officers used "batons" and "stun guns," resulting in injuries to several vendors. According to the news agency, this clash took place near the exit of the "Shadman" metro station when about ten municipal officers attempted to clear the vendors' stalls. Eyewitnesses told ISNA that the officers disembarked from their vehicles without warning and began to overturn and disrupt the vendors' carts, which led to the conflict. One vendor told ISNA, "The officers were just cursing. When they disrupted our goods, we protested. Instead of responding to us, they attacked us with batons and stun guns, beating us as much as they could." The District 2 municipality also, following the publication of images of this clash, issued a statement on Tuesday, February 16, declaring the incident on Monday, February 14, as "an attack by a number of thugs and hooligans on municipal officers." In the municipality's explanation, it was claimed that the "thugs and hooligans" caused damage to municipal vehicles during this attack and sent several officers to the hospital. The municipality identified the "leader of the attackers" as an individual with the initials "A. Q," who has a history of delinquency in the area. According to the municipality's statement, this individual has previously signed several notarized commitments not to set up stalls and has pledged to refrain from any form of obstruction. This clash occurred a week after a confrontation between officers and car wash workers in Saadat Abad, Tehran. In that incident, which was first reported by the Fars news agency, several car wash workers were injured, and significant property damage occurred at the workshop. Following this clash, the mayor of District 2 in Tehran resigned, and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the mayor of Tehran, announced that he had ordered an investigation into the matter. Clashes between sidewalk clearing officers of municipalities in major Iranian cities increase every year as the Persian New Year approaches. The number of street vendors typically rises in Esfand due to the bustling shopping activity for the New Year, leading to more conflicts between municipal officers and them.