The Iranian government opened fire with live ammunition against demonstrators who were protesting the Islamic regime for shooting down a Ukrainian passenger plane last week and lying about it for days.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is a designated terrorist organization, shot down the plane late on Tuesday night after firing numerous missiles at U.S. forces in Iraq.

“For the first three days after the crash, Iran denied growing international accusations that it had shot the plane down, and looked as if it was engaged in a cover-up,” The New York Times reported. “The Iranian authorities insisted that the jetliner had gone down for mechanical reasons, and refused to cooperate with investigators. They also began to remove some evidence from the scene.”

Massive protests erupted across Iran over the weekend in at least a dozen cities and Iran responded by firing “tear gas, rubber bullets and eventually live ammunition to disperse demonstrators.” The Times later noted that multiple people had been shot and that other protesters were beaten.

Warning- Graphic Video: Regime forces shoot at female protester in Tehran. Man who sent me this video was crying so hysterically, he could not speak. #IranProtests pic.twitter.com/1EhDuBBuam — Lisa Daftari (@LisaDaftari) January 12, 2020

#IranProtests2020

Tehran: Security forces violently beat up a grieving man protesting the downed plane. pic.twitter.com/EgqYEbd4XY — Farnaz Fassihi (@farnazfassihi) January 13, 2020

President Donald Trump warned Iran about attacking protesters on Sunday, tweeting, “To the leaders of Iran – DO NOT KILL YOUR PROTESTERS. Thousands have already been killed or imprisoned by you, and the World is watching. More importantly, the USA is watching. Turn your internet back on and let reporters roam free! Stop the killing of your great Iranian people!”

To the leaders of Iran – DO NOT KILL YOUR PROTESTERS. Thousands have already been killed or imprisoned by you, and the World is watching. More importantly, the USA is watching. Turn your internet back on and let reporters roam free! Stop the killing of your great Iranian people! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2020

“To the brave, long-suffering people of Iran: I’ve stood with you since the beginning of my Presidency, and my Administration will continue to stand with you. We are following your protests closely, and are inspired by your courage,” Trump wrote on Saturday, adding, “The government of Iran must allow human rights groups to monitor and report facts from the ground on the ongoing protests by the Iranian people. There can not be another massacre of peaceful protesters, nor an internet shutdown. The world is watching.”

“Unlike previous waves of opposition, some of the outrage this time has come from conservatives who ordinarily support the government, as well as from the usual critics,” the Times added. “Headlines in hard-line newspaper demanded resignations, and the commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guards, Gen. Hossein Salami, issued a very rare public apology. … The editor in chief of the Revolutionary Guard’s Tasnim news agency, Kian Abdollahi, said that attempts by government officials to lie about what had happened were as great a ‘catastrophe’ as the crash itself.”

The Times noted that protesters chanted, “The supreme leader is a murderer; his regime is obsolete,” “Our enemy is right here, they lie to us that it’s America,” and “They killed our geniuses and replaced them with clerics.”

Truly remarkable. Just 2 mo ago regim killed over 1,500 people on streets. Despite this, people return on streets w/ even mor fierce chants against entire ruling system while emphasizing repeatedly in slogans: “The enemy is RIGHT HERE, they LIE & say it is the US”. Tehran, Jan 12 pic.twitter.com/o8OjxrFhLq — Navid (@Navidfa) January 12, 2020

Other videos from protests in Iran showed protesters refusing to walk on flags of the United States and Israel that were painted on the ground.

BBC reporter Ali Hamedani tweeted a video that showed student protesters refusing to walk on a giant American and Israeli flag that was painted on the ground, writing, “At the height of the Iranian establishment anti Americanism, Tehran Beheshti university’s students refused walking over the US and Israel flag while participating in #IranProtests. They all grew up to hate the two countries but seems like the revolutionary ideology is failed.”

WATCH:

At the height of the Iranian establishment anti Americanism, Tehran Beheshti university’s students refused walking over the US and Israel flag while participating in #IranProtests . They all grew up to hate the two countries but seems like the revolutionary ideology is failed. pic.twitter.com/ABQY3GzWMo — Ali Hamedani (@BBCHamedani) January 12, 2020

Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist, tweeted: “Watch how Iranian students refuse to step on American & the flag of Israel. This should embarrassed Iranian regime & their propaganda funeral for #Soleimani where people were told to chant ‘Death To America.’ Now people in Iran chanting ‘Death to Islamic Republic dictatorship.'”

WATCH:

Watch how Iranian students refuse to step on American & the flag of Israel. This should embarrassed Iranian regime & their propaganda funeral for #Soleimani where people were told to chant “Death To America”.

Now people in Iran chanting “Death to Islamic Republic dictatorship.” pic.twitter.com/hTxDuxZeaB — Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) January 12, 2020

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) tweeted: “Students at Beheshti University of Tehran Refuse to Walk Over U.S., Israel Flags, Boo People Who Do”

WATCH:

Students at Beheshti University of Tehran Refuse to Walk Over U.S., Israel Flags, Boo People Who Do pic.twitter.com/hVPMONwwve — MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) January 12, 2020

On Saturday, protesters chanted “death to liars,” “death to the dictator,” “So many years, so many crimes, death to the Islamic Republic,” and “Soleimani was a murderer, his Leader is also a murderer.”

WATCH:

“Soleimani was a murderer, his Leader is also a murderer!”

“Soleimani was a murderer, his Leader is also a murderer!”

“Soleimani was a murderer, his Leader is also a murderer!”

“Soleimani was a murderer, his Leader is also a murderer!” Bravest people in the world. pic.twitter.com/xjCav4reQi — Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) January 11, 2020