Analysis by PMOI/MEK
Iran, Oct. 27, 2018 – Despite all the repressive measures by the Iranian regime against protest movements and all the protesters arrested, the Iranian people have remained steadfast in their effort to continue the ongoing street demonstrations. This includes clients of regime-linked credit firms demanding their stolen savings returned.
In Mashhad, northeast Iran, a similar protest was held on Thursday with clients seeking answers to their demands. Fearing this protest gaining force and bystanders joining the ranks of this rally, police units were dispatched to the scene, attacking and arresting a number of the demonstrators. This repressive measure raised protests by people present at the site.
Two days prior to that, clients of the Caspian credit firm, linked to the Iranian regime’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), rallied outside a branch of this firm in Tehran and demanded their stolen savings to be returned.
On Tuesday, a large number of Caspian clients also rallied at another site in Tehran Province, protesting the unfair pricing of the clients’ property.
It is worth noting that on October 14, 2017, clients of the Caspian and Padideh credit firms had rallied in Tehran’s Keshavarz Avenue, protesting lack of any attention to their rightful demands.
It has been seven years now that clients of regime-linked credit firms have been demanding their stolen savings returned from these companies. Hamidreza Jalaiepour, an expert working the Iranian regime, made interesting remarks in his recent warnings.
“We must answer to the people’s demands… you must answer so that the society becomes calm… If we don’t pay attention to these demands, it will become concerning and I can show how since last year these protest rallies are changing and these changes must be taken seriously…” he said in an interview on state TV.
“In the past year, the people’s measures have changed… Just take a look, during the past year (and even during the 1979 revolution), we had never witnessed violence. However, in the protests of the past 12 months, we have been witnessing violence… people were angry, upset; they have difficulties, people have lost their money, yet banks were set on fire and they headed towards the prosecutor’s office… These are dangerous measures. These are concerning issues that we should be all be worried about. The people’s measures must be responded to. It shouldn’t result in unrest, protests, and God forbid, violence, and then strikes… if you look at the big picture, things will get serious…”
Recently, truck drivers across Iran were seen launching yet another round of nationwide strikes. Prior to that during the summer season, the truckers enjoyed massive support from the general public and an urban revolt launching from the Shapur district of Isfahan, central Iran.
In a recent nationwide strike launched by Iran’s teachers, the country also witnessed students in different agent expressing their support for their teachers and professors.
Workers were also seen expressing their solidarity and once again retired workers/employees, nurses and other people from all walks of life, indicating a new reality of the Iranian people’s ongoing struggle.
It is worth noting that prior to the 1979 revolution, a slowly but surely trend of solidarity was seen growing throughout the society that led to massive street protests, evolved into general strikes spreading throughout the country and finally crippling the country’s economy as a whole.
Of course, one cannot rely on such a formula to repeat itself and each revolution will definitely have its own methods of realizing its goals. The importance of solidarity, however, is the main bond between the varieties of protests movements across the country. The power of solidarity is capable of expanding these popular measures into a sweeping revolution.
As protests by sectors of different people escalate, rest assured the Iranian people will realize and act based on the necessity to unite their measures.
