No thread on the protest in Iran right now?

mastermind

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jacobin.com

In Iran, Mass Protests Are Chanting “No Mullahs, No Shah, Just Democracy”

Iran has exploded in protest following the death of Jîna (Mahsa) Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman detained by “morality police.” We spoke with an Iranian leftist about the mass mobilization and why Western meddling undermines the cause of Iranian democracy.
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Following the petrol protests, we also saw protests dominated by the working class in Khuzestan and laborers on strike around the same time. Anyone who has studied revolutionary movements in history knows that the working class plays an integral role in achieving the demands of any revolution, if it is a genuine movement.

The protests we see today began as a working-class movement. Amini was Kurdish and from Saqqez; Saqqez is majority working class, and Kurds’ standing as an ethnic minority puts them at a greater disadvantage than most.

These protests have expanded past the Kurdish community into many different cities in the country, involving all social classes. In the past, we have seen anti-compulsory hijab protests dominated by upper-middle-class citizens of northern Tehran and other metropolitan areas, so naturally they are a part of these protests as well. But this is one of the first times I have seen different Iranian social classes, ethnic groups, the religious and the secular, come together against a common enemy.
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This is an incredible development and will boost the morale of all Iranians who doubt the movement is genuine. I saw an incredible image during the Khuzestan protests that depicted working hands with the caption, “Workers Make Everything Except for a Living.” I find this applicable to all societies in which the working class is oppressed, but it is particularly relevant to Iran. Without our farmers, our miners, our steelworkers, and our teachers, Iran would not function.
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However, there is an unfortunate group of laborers who have not been advocated for or represented nearly enough, and that is Iran’s child laborers. According to reports from 2020, there are ten million child laborers in Iran, with seven million performing in hazardous positions. It is my hope, as this uprising continues, that labor groups inside of Iran and out will provide a voice for the child laborers of our country and that eventually we can officially end child labor in Iran altogether.

I am convinced that the mass participation of laborers in this uprising will move our movement along further and will eventually result in a more ethical, more just, and stronger Iran.

The beautiful thing about these protests is that they are truly dominated by all ages and genders. I saw two very powerful videos recently, one of a Rashti grandmother removing her veil, who said she remembers protesting the removal of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953, and another of an elderly man standing with his daughter who spoke of being arrested in 1978 by SAVAK during the revolution. [SAVAK was the Shah’s secret police, who targeted, tortured, and executed leftists and other dissidents.]

Both are examples of a generation who saw vast political change in a short period of time and are now fighting again for a future on behalf of their children. I find it incredibly moving. It sends a message to the government: we put you in power, and we will remove you too.
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I have been pleasantly surprised to see the number of conservatives that are standing with the people. I saw an interesting clip of a conservative protester that said the government should sympathize with the protesters demanding change, as they were in the same position in their youth.
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The Iranians protesting here are chanting, “No Mullahs, No Shah, Just Democracy.” And I happen to agree with that sentiment.

The Iranian public is intelligent; we know when we are being taken advantage of. This is not an uprising but a revolution. They are killing basijis [members of one of the five IRGC forces], they are standing in the face of the army and saying, “Death to the Dictator, Death to Khamenei, Death to the Islamic Republic,” they are tearing down and burning images of Imam Khomeini, Rahbar [Supreme Leader Khamenei], and Qasem Soleimani [commander of the Quds division of the IRGC, assassinated by US drone strike in 2020]. Women are shaving their heads, removing their veils, shouting in the faces of the Revolutionary Guards and morality police. They are standing in front of tanks, fire hoses, machine guns, and tear gas.

We have only rocks and our fists to fight with. We are one of the bravest groups of people on the planet; I am really convinced of it. I would say for now the goal of the average protester would be a revolution resulting in a transition to democracy, but of course it is subject to change as these protests carry on. Which I think they will.
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The Islamic Republic is notorious for sending in fake protesters to cause problems. In the past they have burned their own banks and Sepâh [IRGC] headquarters to make protesters look violent. There are rumors the government will pay people to burn Korans on the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad’s death, to make the protesters look like anti-Islamic heathens.

I was reminded the other day of the British comedy film Four Lions, which satirizes fundamentalism and wannabe jihadists. In the film, they are looking for a spot to bomb and one suggests bombing their local mosque to make it look like Islamophobes did it in order to “radicalize the moderates.” The scene ends in the metaphor of being in a fight and punching yourself in the face to make yourself upset enough to fight back, with the ringleader literally punching himself in the nose. It is horrible but ironic to think the Iranian government is using tactics literally invented by a comedy writer, but for some reason they think this works.
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I have also seen Americans create “scripts” to call and email their congressmen, encouraging them to “help” Iran. This is not in the best interest of Iran and promotes foreign intervention, which will only discredit our movement.
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:russ:

It is so hard to say or predict. Obviously, I’m a leftist, so I subscribe to that old cliche “Power to the People,” but I really believe it is true.

We have seen, in just the past three years, the people rise up to put Luis Arce of Bolivia, Gabriel Boric of Chile, and Gustavo Petro of Colombia in power, replacing brutal and oppressive leaderships. I find that Latin America and the Middle East are similar in that we both have been exploited, are revolutionary as people, have large gaps between the rich and peasant classes, and are religiously devout. When thinking about the future of Iran, I often look to Latin America for hope and inspiration.
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My hope for Iran is simple. I want us to finally have a say in our own government. We were a monarchy from day one and faced invasions from multiple empires. The West found oil on our land, financed a new monarchy, and overthrew our elected prime minister in a British and American coup d’état. We started a revolution that was hijacked to prevent the spread of communism and have now been stuck for fifty years.

It is time we have a say in our livelihood without the interference of foreign powers. Whatever the Iranian masses choose, I will accept. As I said before, the fight of leftists will be the same. We will still advocate for the working class, labor rights, and so on. We deserve to be prosperous and independent.
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When religion becomes oppressive, eventually people will lose their shyt
 
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Json said:
I feel like Iran has a populist protest every couple of years that the leaders just ride out.

They don’t fear that they need to change or be deposed.
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I 100% support the protesters but this. There's been multiple past occasions where the protests have amounted to little so it gets my hopes up slightly but I'm not hanging on it.

I think it's absolutely possible for a protest movement to succeed in Iran, but it has to be well-planned and organized, and these feel more spontaneous. Like the Arab Spring protesters found, spontaneous lightly-organized protests can find initial successes but then struggle to translate those victories into long-term change. You need an MLK Jr. or a Gandhi figure who can really see the big picture and plot serious long-term struggles if you're going to shift the dynamic in a systematic manner.
 
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As long as the Mullahs can comfortably rely on their people (Guards, Basijis etc) and retain 25% of the population support, they are entrenched

Doesn't matter if the half the country rises up. They have no weapons, and the ones that do have no hesitation in using them

Iran's Mullahs are more akin to the CCP, than a despot that can be overthrown a la Shah or Mubarak etc
 
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The only real x factor this time around is the fact that Khamenei is on his death bed

The Mullahs are begging for this to run its course before he dies
 
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