Cinema Rex Fire · Sinema Reks

Culture of origin: Iranian · Historical

Holiday sources: Iran

During an evening screening of the film The Deer, four men barred the doors of the Cinema Rex in Abadan, doused the building in fuel and set it alight; between 377 and 470 people died. The arsonists were Islamist militants on the side of Khomeini's revolutionaries, but Khomeini and the revolutionaries falsely blamed the Shah's secret police, SAVAK. Many believed the lie, which fuelled the revolution; the Islamic Republic still blames SAVAK.