Iran’s Nationwide Uprising Sees New Surge Coupled With Massive Support In Berlin – OpEd
Sunday marked the 38th day of Iran’s nationwide uprising, which has continued despite repressive measures by the regime and constant internet outages.
Protests in Iran have to this day expanded to at least 197 cities. Over 400 people have been killed and more than 20,000 are arrested by the regime’s forces, according to sources of Iranian opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The names of 241 killed protesters have been published by the PMOI/MEK.
Sunday’s protests began with strikes by teachers in several Kurdish cities, including Saqqez, Marivan, and Kamyaran.
Students resumed their protests in several cities across Iran on Sunday. At Yazd University, the students were chanting “Students will die but won’t give in to disgrace!” In Kermanshah, the students of Razi University encouraged other students to join the protests by chanting, “Proud college students! Support! Support!” In Khomeini Shahr and Gohardasht, the students of Islamic Azad University held protest rallies.
Students in Tehran also held protest rallies on Sunday. At Sharif University, students held protest rallies despite heavy security measures and a recent brutal crackdown on the students. The protesting students were chanting, “Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!” At Allameh Tabatabaei University, the students directed their slogans at regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei and chanted, “Don’t call me seditionist! You are the sedition and tyrant!”
Iran’s nationwide uprising marked its 37th day on Saturday with a new surge of protests across the country parallel to a massive demonstration by the Iranian Diaspora in Berlin. Iranians living under the mullahs’ tyranny and those checkered across the globe are voicing their message to the world: this regime has to go, and the Iranian nation is determined to establish a democratic republic.
Saturday saw college students and other minors taking to the streets during the day along with reports of a continuous general strike in several Kurdish cities in western and northwest Iran, along with merchants in the city of Gohardasht in Alborz Province, just west of Tehran. As the day progressed protesters in numerous cities began taking to the streets, starting fires and establishing roadblocks, and taking control of their areas. Chants of “Death to Khamenei!” and “Death to the dictator!” have become the general soundtrack of the ongoing uprising throughout the country, specifically targeting regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Saturday’s protests began with student demonstrations in several cities. In Tehran, the students of Beheshti University held a protest rally. Students in other parts of Tehran held demonstrations and chanted, “Death to the dictator!” In Yazd, students at Yazd University, Faculty of Art & Architecture, held a demonstration. In Ahvaz, students of Academy of Gondishapur held anti-regime rallies.
At the same time, strikes were held in several Kurdish cities, including Saqqez, Marivan, Marvdasht, Bukan, and Mahabad.
Protests were held in several cities on Saturday. In Shahinshahr, protesters were chanting, “This is the year Seyed Ali [Khamenei] is overthrown!” In Tehran, a group of protesters shouted, “Death to the dictator!” In Mashhad, protesters chanted, “No fear! We’re all together!”
In Tabriz, protests were very intense. Protesters blocked roads with fire to prevent the movement of security forces. In Mashhad, security forces attacked and brutally beat protesters in several parts of the city. However, residents continued their protest rallies. In Shahin Shahr, protesters were chanting, “This is the year [Khamenei] will be overthrown!”
The people of Dezful held large protest rallies on Saturday. In their demonstration, they chanted, “Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!” and “This is the year Seyed Ali (Khamenei) will be overthrown!” reiterating their desire to overthrow the regime.
Protests took place in several districts of Tehran. In Cheragh Bargh Bazaar, protesters were chanting, “Death to the dictator!” In Laleh-Zar Street, people were shouting, “Death to the dictator!” A large rally was held in Ferdowsi Boulevard of the Sadeghiyeh district. A rally was held in Shariati metro station. In Tehranpars, people rallied in streets.
Protests were also reported in Mahabad, Sanandaj, Kermanshah, and Bukan.
In Berlin, members of the Iranian Diaspora held a massive demonstration in support of their compatriots inside Iran and the ongoing uprising against the mullahs’ regime. Over 80,000 people participated in Saturday’s huge rally and chanted “Death to Khamenei!” “Death to the dictator!” and “Death to the oppressor! Be it the Shah or [Khamenei]!” among other slogans in unity with the Iranian people inside the country calling for the complete overthrow of the mullahs’ regime. Iranians also participated in similar rallies in other cities across the globe, including Washington, Los Angeles, Toronto, Stockholm, among others.
Iranian opposition NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi hailed the people of Iran in their ongoing anti-regime uprising and the Berlin demonstration in support of the Iranian people. “On the 37th day of Iran protests, all sectors of Iranian society, including university and high school students, workers, and bazaar merchants rose up and filled the Iranian political scene in Iran and abroad with cries of ‘Death to Khamenei.’ The people of Iran again showed that they want to overthrow the mullahs’ regime and establish a democratic republic,” she emphasized.
“All sectors and ethnic groups, women, and men are united from Tehran to Zahedan, Isfahan, Mashhad, Sanandaj, Ahvaz, and other cities. Their unity has defeated the repressive measures of Khamenei and his ruthless IRGC to stop the uprising,” Mrs. Rajavi highlighted.
“Despite its daily crimes, the ruling regime has reached the end of the line. Now is the time for Iran’s freedom movement to rise up from beneath the ashes of suppression,” the NCRI President-elect concluded.
The protests in Iran began following the death of Mahsa Amini. Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, a 22-year-old woman from the city of Saqqez in Kurdistan Province, western Iran, who traveled to Tehran with her family, was arrested on Tuesday, September 13, at the entry of Haqqani Highway by the regime’s so-called “Guidance Patrol” and transferred to the “Moral Security” agency.
She was brutally beaten by the morality police and died of her wounds in a Tehran hospital on September 16. The event triggered protests that quickly spread across Iran and rekindled the people’s desire to overthrow the regime.
Mahmoud Hakamian writes for The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), also known as Mujahedin-e-Khalgh (MEK). This article was published by PMOI/MEK