Update on Iranian protests
From Sept. 20, this is the first video I saw from the protests in Iran.
Unprecedented scenes in Iran: woman sits on top of utility box and cuts her hair in main square in Kerman to protest death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the morality police. People clap their hands and chant “Death to the dictator.” #مهسا_امینی pic.twitter.com/2oyuKV80Ac
— Golnaz Esfandiari (@GEsfandiari) September 20, 2022
A report from Arash Azizi at Newsweek:
Iran’s Regime May Have Just Sparked a Revolution
On Sept. 17, Mahsa’s funeral in her native Kurdistan province was accompanied by massive protests which soon spread all over the country with slogans that targeted not just the hated morality police but the entire Islamic Republic of Iran. The favorite “death to the dictator” slogan, aimed at Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, made a comeback, while a new positive slogan was also heard: “Women, Life, Freedom.”
At the time of writing, four days have passed, and the protests show no sign of stopping. They’ve happened in more than 40 cities and at least 19 out of 31 provinces of the country. This makes them the largest protests since 2009. Iran is, once more, in the throes of a nation-wide mass movement with a clear aim of confronting the brutal Islamist dictatorship. Already iconic images are emerging out of the movement that will help define its brazen courage: A woman with a burning scarf in one hand and a stone in another who is wearing a casual shirt with open buttons; another with a pink backpack and green-dyed hair, casually confronting half a dozen uniformed police; a woman in wheel-chair taking off her hijab and burning it to the chants of “we are all in this together.” This is a women-led revolution.
For anybody who follows Iran, the fact that women are leading the movement comes as no surprise. Popular footballer Ali Karimi spoke for many when he predicted that Iran’s next Kaveh (a national mythical hero) will be a woman. Although it might sound like a cliche, many Iranians have long known the women of the country to be a key hope for change….
If the regime has survived this long, it is thanks to the sheer brutality it has unleashed on the people, as well as the lack of a coherent alternative. Having repressed all elements of civic or political opposition, it has repeatedly drenched popular protests in blood: In 2009, in 2017-18 and in 2019-20. But any use of force has its limits. What is already noteworthy about the 2022 movement is people are fighting back with more ferocity than ever before. During the 2009 movement, non-violence was the rule. This time around even Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi reminded the people that they had a right to legitimate defense against oppression….
And an update from Jason Rezaian at the Washington Post What’s happening in Iran? Here’s what people there are saying. (gift article, should get you past the paywall).
ETA:
Iranian state-organised marchers call for execution of protesters