Big Strike! The nationwide protests in Iran have entered a new phase…
Strikes are said to have shaken the mullahs’ economic system since this Monday (until Wednesday). Activists had called on retailers across the country to take part in the strikes in the past few days.
Pictures from Iran now prove that the call for the so-called 14-15-16 protests (named following the date of the Persian calendar month “Azar”) is a complete success!
Especially in economic centers – like the bazaars in big cities – many shops are already closed.
The goal of the activists: The mullahs’ banking system is said to be faltering due to the low money circulation.
A deserted market in Bandar Ganaveh, a small town in southwestern Iran
FDP human rights politician Renata Alt (57) to BILD: “The Iranians want freedom! They want to overthrow the mullahs’ regime – by peaceful means and with an economic boycott.”
And further: The statement by Interior Minister Ahmad Wahidi that the protesters were “riot mongers” and that investigative committees were set up without the participation of representatives of the protesters shows that the regime no longer has any legitimacy in the eyes of the majority of the population.
The arrest and subsequent brutal ill-treatment of 22-year-old Iranian Mahsa Amini by the vice squad sparked the nationwide protests that have been going on since September. Mahsa Amini died as a result of injuries sustained in detention.
Shops will also remain closed on Monday in the Kurdish city of Divandarreh in northern Iran
Dissolution of the vice police “Fake News”
Ahead of the three-day protests, Iran’s Attorney General’s statement regarding the disbanding of the vice squad sparked debate in the West: Is it a genuine concession by the mullahs?
For political scientist Ali Fathollah-Nejad, this is just a ruse to improve the Iranian regime’s battered image in the West and to simulate a willingness to reform.
He vented his anger on Twitter: “No, Iran has not abolished its moral police, as the Western media euphorically claim!”
Because although the Iranian state media spoke regarding a possible dissolution of the vice squad, there is no legally binding decision.
On the contrary: Ali Fatollah-Nejad believes that compulsory headscarves are an important pillar of the Islamic Republic, and one that the mullahs will not do without. The regime is more likely to refine its surveillance measures, for example by using camera technology from China for mass surveillance.
In addition, the security forces have been exhausted from their constant work since mid-September, so a “breather” when checking “ill-fitting hijabs” would be just right for the vice squad – it is not a signal for real reforms. In any case, the demonstrators are no longer demanding reforms, but the abolition of the regime.
