The closure of Shia pilgrimage sites in Iran’s Shia holy cities of Qom and Mashhad as part of the country’s efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus has prompted sit-ins and protests in the two cities, according to videos circulating on social media.

Iran closed the Shia holy shrines of Imam Reza in Mashhad, Fatima Masumeh in Qom and Shah Abdol-Azim in Tehran on Monday until further notice due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

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Several videos showed protesters demanding authorities to re-open the Fatima Masumeh shrine in Qom, the epicenter of the outbreak.

One video showed angry protesters trying to force their way in through one of the shrine’s entrance doors.

Watch: “We are not followers of the World Health Organization. They are a bunch of infidels and Jews,” a cleric shouts outside the Fatima Masumeh shrine in #Qom after Shia pilgrimage sites were closed to combat the spread of the #coronavirus in #Iran.https://t.co/cO8XWbK6KM pic.twitter.com/FE079sGOQi — Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) March 17, 2020

A group of protesters partially damaged one of the shrine’s entrance doors, while another group were able to make it inside chanting religious slogans.

معترضان قمی با نقض مصوبه ستاد مقابله با کرونا، با شعار حیدر، حیدر درب حرم معصومه را باز کردند و رفتند که شفا بگیرند، کرونا کیلویی چند؟ pic.twitter.com/qR7O0zj5os — رضا حقيقت‌نژاد (@rezahn56) March 16, 2020

The protesters were eventually dispersed and the shrine’s entrance door was closed again, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

Another video showed protesters staging a sit-in outside the shrine. Men could be heard wailing and crying in the video.

پس از تمرد از ممنوعیت نماز جماعت داخل حرم و برگزاری نماز جماعت در ظهر جمعه پشت در مصلای قم، این سومین مورد از مخالفت گروهی از مردم قم با سیاست تعلیق موقت مناسک است.

ظاهرا امروز بستن درهای حرم حضرت رضا(ع) در مشهد نیز با حاشیه‌هایی همراه بوده است. /2 pic.twitter.com/Ol3RmvRSzY — محسن‌حسام مظاهری (@mohsenHmazaheri) March 16, 2020

Videos have also emerged from the Shia holy city of Mashhad showing protesters demanding the Imam Reza shrine to be reopened.

Protesters were seen chanting religious slogans outside the shrine in one video.

پس از حرم معصومه در قم ، الان در #مشهد متحجرین افراطی به در حرم بسته شده #امام_رضا با شعار حیدر حیدر هجوم آورده اند pic.twitter.com/omj3yuBKoC — cheshm_abi (@chawshin_83) March 16, 2020

Another video showed security forces desperately attempting to keep angry protesters out of the shrine’s courtyard.

بعد از شکستن درب حرم حضرت معصومه(س) در قم، نوبت به هتک حرمت حرم امام رضا(ع) رسید!

جماعتی در مشهد، با فریاد حیدر حیدر! و همزمان با عربده کشی و فحاشی!! به سمت خادمان امام رضا(ع) حمله کردند تا به زور وارد حرم شوند.

امشب حرم‌های مطهر در ایران مورد حمله پیروان #شیعه_انگلیسی قرار گرفت. pic.twitter.com/f5swF6wvMw — حاج حیدر (@haj_haydar) March 16, 2020

As of Monday, 853 in Iran have died from the coronavirus and there are 14,991 confirmed cases.

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Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 14:06 - GMT 11:06