Protests continued across Iran on Wednesday. People clashed with the fully-armed security forces. According to many observers, the major Iran protests had another turning point on October 26, as many cities witnessed anti-regime protests despite the previous days’ heavy crackdowns.
At least 63 Iranian cities witnessed demonstrations and strikes, as well as protests by university students. These protests sent another shockwave across the globe, and Iranians’ bravery in facing a brutal regime left any spectator in awe.
Since its beginning, the nationwide uprising has kept its upward trend despite authorities’ attempts to quash it at once and for all. According to many experts, the continuation of protests in Iran, where the entire security apparatus is set up to stifle any voice of dissent, indicates these demonstrations are organized and not “leaderless.”
Officials have called for the arrest of “leaders” who guide these protests toward the national demand for regime change. Yet, Iran’s volatile society is full of youth and women who have the potential to lead this uprising. Besides, there has been an organized Resistance against the clerical regime, which through a well-spread and proactive network of activists, has constantly spread the message of “resistance” across Iran.
In their official statements or classified directives, state officials have been warning about Iran’s main opposition group, Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), and its vast network of “Resistance Units.”
On October 27, the Iranian Resistance revealed a “very confidential” statement by Hossain Salami, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). This order, along with ongoing anti-MEK statements by authorities, laid bare the regime’s fear of the MEK’s Resistance Units.
Salami underlines that “Considering the increasing trend of divisionary activities by elements of the Resistance Units affiliated to the [MEK] against classified locations,” the IRGC should launch “coherent, targeted, and planned intelligence patrols, both covert and overt, as well as setting up ambushes in the security and protection perimeter of these locations.”
#Iran News in Brief
The Iranian regime's supreme leader's representatives in various cities as well as other state officials warn against the role of organized units in #IranRevolution2022.
Read⬇️https://t.co/R9Rskwjb0n pic.twitter.com/63yiScBx6Q— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) October 7, 2022
On October 10, the IRGC Brigadier General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff for the regime’s Armed Forces, expressed the regime’s utter fear of the MEK organization, adding himself to the long list of officials acknowledging the MEK’s leading role in the recent uprising.
“The very few scenes of chaos in some parts of the country, and the enemy’s focus on the ethnic and religious minority, all indicate the enemy has waged a full-fledged war on [the regime]. In this war, the evil [MEK] and other terrorist grouplets act as the enemy’s pawns,” Bagheri was quoted as saying by the state-run Entekhab website.
Another interesting factor about the current uprising is the evolution of popular slogans. Protests initially sparked due to the tragic death of Mahsa Amini in police custody and quickly featured slogans rejecting the entire ruling theocracy.
Protesters soon chanted slogans such as “Death to the dictator” and “I will kill who killed my sister.” Into its second week, Iran’s nationwide uprising and its slogans highlighted anything but one goal: the downfall of the ruling theocracy. Wednesday marked the 40th day since Mahsa’s death. People in Saqqez, Mahsa’s hometown, as well as all across Iran, chanted slogans such as “We fight and take back Iran,” “Let’s fight,” “We won’t return home until we have accomplished the revolution”, and “This isn’t a protest anymore, it’s a revolution.”
October 26 – Saqqez, western #Iran
More footage of the enormous crowd of people that marched to the resting place of #MahsaAmini on the 41st day of the uprising against the mullahs' regime.#IranRevolution2022pic.twitter.com/2S33RxfXSR— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 26, 2022
Many spectators, as well as authorities, have indeed acknowledged these slogans as a revolution in the making. Unlike what regime apologists try to promote in the West, Iranians are not protesting for their economic grievances, which are also caused by the regime’s corruption and ineptitude. They want freedom and democracy.
“People have many economic problems. But we have witnessed recent riots are not about economic issues,” Mohammad Nabavani, a member of the regime’s parliament, was quoted as saying by the state-run Entekhab website on September 27.
Indeed, Iranians from all walks of life are risking their lives to achieve freedom and democracy. As protests continue, people’s methods to confront security forces have changed. They fearlessly clash with security forces. A video from Tehran on October 27 showed a bare-handed young man charging at a fully armed agent. People set fire to the regime’s symbols and banners on a daily basis. University students relentlessly continue their demonstrations and sit-ins and are joined by high school students.
They are determined to pay the price of freedom. Hence, the world community should recognize the Iranian people’s demand for regime change and their right to self-defense. This is the only way to break the regime’s cycle of violence. As actions are louder than words, statements by Western democracies condemning regime violence are important but not enough.
