Iran: Security Forces Attack, Arrest Protesting Teachers During Labor Day Protests

Thousands of Iranian teachers took to the streets in dozens of cities in 21 provinces across Iran, protesting their dire living conditions, low salaries, officials’ hollow promises and the failure of the government to meet their demands on Labor Day. The teachers and educators called for the full implementation of the Civil Service Management Law and equalizing pensions, halting privatization, and allocating sufficient funds per capita to schools. The protesting teachers also demanded the return of fired teachers, the release of union activists, and an end to the prosecution of teachers.

Iranian teachers have staged periodic nationwide protestors demanding their fundamental rights. During their last protest on Labor Day, security forces responded with force in several cities, injuring teachers and detaining them.

The teachers chanted, “Teachers don’t belong in prison, tyrants don’t belong in Iran”, and “Detained teachers must be released”. They also addressed the regime’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Parliament Speaker Qalibaf and chanted, “Raisi, Qalibaf! This is the last message. The teacher’s movement is ready for an uprising.”

Security forces arrest teachers amid severe security measures

According to reports published by teachers’ union activists, rallies in some cities turned violent with the intervention of police and security forces, who attacked teachers in the southern city of Bushehr and beat them. A number of teachers were injured while others were detained.

In the city of Tehran, teachers planned to gather outside Iran’s parliament, but from the first hours of the morning, security guards and riot police were stationed on the streets around the parliament. The guards and the police did not allow anyone to stop near the building. While the rally in front of the parliament did not take place, a number of female teachers gathered in a park in Tehran and, holding placards, chanted slogans protesting their dire living conditions and low wages.

In the city of Marivan in western Iran, teachers rallied along with their students, but security forces attacked the demonstrators trying to disperse them. Several teachers were arrested.