This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (January 2020) |
Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 protests | |||
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Part of the 2019–2020 Iranian protests | |||
Date | 11 January 2020 – 16 January 2020 (5 days) | ||
Location | Iran | ||
Caused by | Shootdown of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps | ||
Goals | Fall of the Islamic Republic government | ||
Methods |
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Resulted in | Continued anti-government sentiment leading to the 2021–2022 Iranian protests and the 2022–2023 Mahsa Amini protests | ||
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Lead figures | |||
Casualties and losses | |||
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The Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 protests were anti-government protests, forming part of the spillover clashes that took place in January 2020 resulting from the crackdown of the 2019 Iranian protests, which swept Iran in January 2020. The protests took place after it was revealed that Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran, on the 8th of January 2020.
The Boeing 737-800 operating the route was shot down shortly after takeoff from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport;[1][2][3] all 176 passengers and crew were killed.[4] Initially, Iranian aviation authorities said that the plane crashed due to a technical error.[5] However, investigation by western intelligence agencies later revealed the aircraft had been shot down by a Tor-M1 surface-to-air missile launched by Iran. Three days later, on 11 January, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said they had shot down the aircraft after mistaking it for a cruise missile.[6] Soon after, vigils held in Iran intended to pay respect to the victims turned into protests, first at universities in Tehran and then across other Iranian cities.[7] Protests began at the Amirkabir University of Technology, with Iranians chanting "death to the dictator" and calling for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to leave the country.[8]
A government counter protest action painted Israeli and American flags on a planned protest march route, but protestors refused to walk on them.[9][7] Pictures of Soleimani were torn down across Iran and protesters chanted, "Our enemy is right here; They lie to us [when they say] that it's America."[10]