Amid unrest, Iran’s hardliners turn their anger to France

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian hardliners have burnt France’s flag outside of its embassy in Tehran where they were protesting cartoons published by the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that lampoon Iran’s ruling clerics. The Charlie Hebdo caricatures largely aligned the Paris-based magazine with the demands of anti-government protests that have swept Iran calling for the downfall of its Islamic Republic and challenged its hardline establishment. The demonstrations Sunday outside of the French embassy follow previous attempts by Iran’s rulers to mobilize their supporters in counter-demonstrations.