Iran Can’t Put a Lid on Protests Forever
Even if the clerics temporarily stifle the demands of a new generation of Iranians with violence and terror, this can only be a recipe for many more revolts to come.
Amini’s death continues to inspire crowds.
Photographer: Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images
On Nov. 3, President Joe Biden promised that “we’re gonna free Iran.” Wisely, he quickly added that Iranians were “gonna free themselves pretty soon.” Was he being too optimistic?
It is true that demonstrators all over Iran, in minority Kurdish and Baluchi areas as well as in Tehran and other cities, are refusing to give up their revolt against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s theocracy. The rebellion is being driven by women and was sparked by the violent death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was arrested for refusing to wear a hijab, or headscarf. The protesters’ slogan is: “Women, Life, Freedom.”