Iranian cities have been witnessing dozens of protests in recent days from all walks of life, according to reports tallied by Iran’s opposition, People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). Due to Iran’s economic crises, these protests have prompted state media to warn about another nationwide uprising.
On Wednesday, May 19, the “green report card” teachers held a protest in front of the regime’s Ministry of Education. They have held protests in recent days. On Tuesday, they gathered in front of the regime’s parliament.
These teachers have taken and passed the employment exam of the Ministry of Education, known as the “article 28 exam.” But the regime has given no plans to employ these teachers. According to the protesters, there are 23,000 employment opportunities in the government.
These teachers were chanting on Tuesday and Wednesday, “Raise your voices, teachers, demand your rights.”
Workers of the Asminon Mine in southeast Iran held protests on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday, the enraged workers blocked the Kahnooj-Bandar Abbas highway and spent Tuesday night in the Manojan tunnel.
According to the state-run Jamaran news on Monday, “Hundreds of workers at the Asminon Manojan mine in the south of Kerman province staged a protest after months of uncertainty, not receiving their April salaries and insurance premiums. Ultimately they lost their employment this year.”
Many of these workers had not received their salaries for six months before being fired. According to reports from Iran, there are at least 1200 workers who have lost their lives, and three workers have lost their lives in recent years.
Instead of fulfilling workers’ demands, the regime has sent antiriot units to the area.
On Tuesday, members of the Golestan Municipality Employees’ Cooperative held a rally in front of the municipality building. They have given money to the cooperative for ten years to buy land, but their lands have not been handed over yet.
On Tuesday, May 18, several drivers of the Tehran Bus Company rallied in front of the Tehran City Council, demanding authorities to review the job classification plan. These drivers also called the regime officials to answer their other overdue demands.
Last week, several members of the bus company workers’ union filed a request at the Tehran City Council and Municipality to review the job classification plan.
On Sunday, retirees, pensioners, and teachers of the “literacy movement” staged a protest in Tehran and 14 other cities. They protested their dire economic situation, below-poverty-line salaries, and the regime’s failure to meet their minimum demands.
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), saluted the protesting teachers and retirees who chanted, “We will no longer vote; we have heard too many lies” “We will not rest until we get our rights.” She said: The continuous protests and uprisings of the retirees, teachers, workers, and laborers, bespeak the unflinching resolve of the Iranian people to confront an illegitimate and criminal regime. Supporting the protesters is a nationalistic and patriotic duty.
The ongoing protests in Iran have terrified the state-run media and officials of social turmoil. The call for boycotting the regime’s sham elections in June is a sign of people’s hatred toward the regime.
“In recent years, countless pressures have been put on people’s lives, which is also rooted in the inefficiency of the country’s management system and, of course, the inefficiency of previous governments,” said Hossain Marashi, one of the regime’s former officials on Wednesday.
“During the last two decades, the people’s political, social, and economic demands have accumulated. Since these demands have not been fulfilled, they have caused a great deal of frustration. People’s resentment is a political warning that is now shown in the form of unwillingness to participate in elections,” Marashi added, according to the state-run Sharq daily on Wednesday.
