Local authorities, armed with heavy equipment, trucks and cranes, demolished the awnings and outside terraces of a dozen cafes in the town of Ekbatan, a suburb of Tehran, during the morning of May 14. The cafes are known to be a meeting place and organising ground for Iran’s “Woman, Life, Freedom” protest movement, attracting youth and and young women who resist Islamic dress regulations. Police oversaw the demolition, threatening to arrest any civilians or cafe owners who protested against the destruction.
