The facts behind the cinema fire

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brothers were burned alive, people who led the front ranks of demonstrations less than 24 hours later, The biggest oil refinery in the world is in Abadan. That's what it is known for. Also, it's so hot and oppressively humid in the summer that construction and oil workers are on their jobs by 5 am. and cannot work later than 10 a.m.; they resume work around 3 p.m. and continue until o'clock.

Equipment

Because of the vast stretches of oil refineries and petrochemical plants, the most advanced firefighting equipment exists in Abadan and it is regarded as the most sophisticated in the whole Middle East.

Oil workers in Abadan are militant strikers. Throughout 50 years, the duration of Pahlavi rule in Iran, Abadan has been a centre of anti-regime and anti-imperialist demonstrations often rallying tens of thousands and even several hundred thousand from the entire region.

The Rex Cinema, located in one of the working class neighbourhoods; was centre of anti-Shah activity.

On the evening of Saturday August 19 there were to be two showings of a movie called "Reindeer" It is a generally progressive film which apparently conveys a simple theme, symbolically depicting the injustice of tyranny and oppression and the heroism of struggle against it.

A progressive film. All kets had been sold ut.

theatre he Ids 30.

The second showing began around 9 p.m. The audience was mostly working class, many entire families, old and young people, men, women and children, a number of students. 830 people packed the theatre. The lights went out. The movie began.

Outside the Rex Cinema a few dozen people who were passing by noticed smoke seeping out from the roof. It was between 9.30 and 9.45 as people stared curiously at the building. In silence, they saw heavier and heavier smoke. Within minutes, people were heard commenting that "it must be empty"

Not unusual Many movie theatres have been . targeted during 10 months of demonstrations. It is thus not unusual that there might be a fire. But people automatically assumed that any theatre fire meant that no one would be inside. There never had been a single injury; all theatres had been empty before being hit by demonstrators.

Not empty Within minutes, people realized that maybe the Rex was not empty. A group of 30 had swelled to 500 or 600 within minutes as the smoke also had swelled around the building. It was only seconds before this crowd moved towards the doors.

Suddenly, seeming to come from nowhere, police vans and army trucks filled the entire area. Soldiers and police poured out of the vans and surged in front of the crowd, swiftly blocking the entire front of the building.

Police plunged into the crowd and shoved people backwards. Suddenly this wall of troops and police barricading the door were attacking. Clubs went up in the air, cracking down on hands, heads, backs and arms as people shoved to reach the doorways.

Flames were all around the building. In a roaring blaze, the entire theatre was walled with fire.

"People are burning! Please help them!" screamed someone from the roof, jumping two stories to the ground.

As the crowd stared in horror, police swarmed over him, clubs and bayonettes aimed to the ground where he had fallen. Within seconds, police killed him.

Shots rang out. People screamed from the roof. They were being shot! Two, three, then another two were breaking through the roof, scrambling to the edge ready to jump to the ground. They were being shot before they reached Iranian troops the ground.

Anyone who struggled out of the fire was being shot and clubbed. To one side, people noticed section of the wall about to crumble. It was being broken through from inside and two or three people were frantically trying to get: out to safety. The crowd rushed to rescue them.

• Before they reached the edge of the building and the people desperately trying to get them • out, police surrounded them, shoving with rifle butts and clubs, pushing them back. Struggling frantically against the police, people watched in agony as only two or three were able to escape, leaving behind scores of others trapped by falling timbers and totally drowned in flames.

Pitched The scene in front of the theatre was now a pitched battle • between crowds desperately trying to get to the doors and scores of police and troops fighting back all attempts at rescue. People could see that a struggle had broken out from behind the doors, coming from inside the theatre. And they could see a solid wall of soldiers behind the police pushing against the doors to keep them shut.

Troops shoved, kicked and smashed rifle butts into the crowds. Police closed in tighter and tighter blocking all access to the building Behind them, another solid wall of troops, shoving against the doors.

The front of the building was now a raging inferno. It was 11.30. At 11 o'clock a truck carrying one water tank had pulled up several hundred feet from thei theatre. People ran in vain to bring it close to the blazing theatre. It was a drinking water truck and was empty and couldn't use the oil company's hydrants they were told.

Inside, the lights hac gone out. The movie had started. Smoke curled into the theatre. within minutes flames were all around them.

People had rushed the doors. They found them chained from the outside Heaving themselves against the main door, they had finally succeeded in breaking one door. As they tried to push through thẻ door, they saw that they were shoving against a solid wall of troops, armed with machine guns, pushing them back inside the deadly fire ''Anyone comes outwe'll shoot!" shouted the troops.

As the soldiers hurled themselves against the door fought their way. through As they staggered forward police plunged on top of them with clubs.

Chained

The doors had been re chained. The death over was sealed.

For four hours, the fir raged. Crowds battled and fought against the police heaving desperately agains the armed troops. By 2 a.m they knew that everyone must be dead inside. And most of the people who had jumped from the roof had been shot leaving only about a dozen people alive.

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SOCIALIST PRESS, H'ednesday 15 November, 1978

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shoving people back into the flames, one or two