From April 20 to May 20, 2021, different groups of people held at least 323 protest rallies in different cities in Iran
22-May-2021
Category: Labor and guilds
22-May-2021
Newsgroup: Workers and Guilds –
Breathing in Confinement: From April 20 to May 20, 2021, with continuing economic and social problems in Iran and despite the widespread repression, various groups of people staged large-scale protest rallies to pursue their demands. At least 323 protest movements have been held in different cities of the country.
Unlike previous years, this year, on first of May, on International Workers’ Day, large gatherings were held in different cities of the country such as Rasht, Tabriz, Karaj, Tehran, Khorramabad, etc.
In Tehran, police had a violent approach to the protesters and both in Tehran and Sanandaj, a number of protesters were arrested.
Retirees as well as pensioners continued their protests by holding four nationwide rallies in at least 15 cities, declaring that they would continue to protest until they received their demands.
During this period, ninth and twelfth grade students were the new groups who were added to the protesters. Due to the joint decision of the Ministry of Education and the Iranian National Headquarters for Combating the Coronavirus to hold in-person exams for these two educational levels, students in several cities assembled in front of the Department of Educations and protested the decision. However, in several cities, including Bandar Abbas and Golpayegan, police and plainclothes forces beat the students. In addition, several provincial education departments, in fear of the spread of the protests, interrogated and threatened many students.
Iranian Teachers’ Trade Association in various cities, including Saqez, Zivieh, Yazd, Gilan, Isfahan, Qazvin, North Khorasan, Islamshahr, Tehran and Aligudarz, etc expressed abhorrence of beating the students and supported their protests for their rights.
Workers at the Aseminun mine in Sistan and Baluchestan to demand their rights. staged a four-day general strike, which ended only when the employer accepted their demands. Simultaneously, people in the cities of Menojan and Nodej marched in support of these workers.
In addition, the teachers from different cities who had passed the recruitment test, pursuing their demands, traveled to Tehran and gathered in front of the parliament and staged large-scale protests.
Protests also spread to other sectors, including farmers, ranchers, and workers in various fields.
The officials of the Islamic Republic however, have not taken any action to improve the living conditions of people.
Ebtekar newspaper with the headline of “Inflation swallows everything” reported that just over the last two months, the price of food basket has shown a rise of 1,170,000 Tomans. “Even today we can no longer see the effects of increase in wages, the same wages which employers opposed their rise! Now this slight increase has disappeared. Current condition can only be described with one sentence: “The livelihood security of wage earners is in danger, a very serious danger,” wrote Ebtekar.
Simultaneously with the start of the 13th presidential election campaigns, several officials acknowledging the poor living conditions of the people, have confessed that the current situation has left people distrustful to the government. The Aftab-e-Yazd newspaper wrote: ” put yourself in shoes of a retiree or a worker with a fixed salary. Does he still have a passion for political participation?! You may gather 100,000 people every night around a candidate in a clubhouse meeting, but does it matter to me when my one month income doesn’t meet only a meal of red meat?”