Interior Ministry: Rouhani hecklers 'rogue' elements
Interior Ministry officials said that recent hecklers at a Rouhani event were rogue elements, drawing criticism that authorities are unable or unwilling to prosecute the culprits.
When President Hassan Rouhani spoke on June 3 during a commemoration event for Iran's former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, he was shouted down by a number of hard-line protesters. Three weeks after the event, Iran's Interior Ministry said that the protesters were "rogue" elements and were not connected to any group, drawing criticism from Iranian media, which has become all too familiar with the "rogue" label that typically absolves anyone from being held accountable.
During Rouhani's speech at the newly renovated mausoleum for the founder of the Islamic Republic, hecklers chanted "Death to America" and "Death to hypocrites," forcing Rouhani to momentarily stop his speech. Video clips of Rouhani patiently pausing — even smiling at times — as protesters shouted was shared widely on social media. The incident was criticized by a number of political figures, from the head of Iran's Basij organization, Mohammad Reza Naghdi, to Iranian member of parliament Mohsen Ghorouian. Naghdi criticized the hecklers given that the event was meant to symbolize national unity and shouting down the president sowed division.
