Analysis by PMOI/MEK
Jan. 1, 2019 – On Sunday, the Iranian regime held “anti-demonstrations,” government-organized gatherings meant to prevent protests from erupting on the anniversary of the “Ashura uprising” in December 2009, where thousands of people poured into the streets of different cities in Iran and confronted security forces in heavy clashes. However, despite the widespread efforts led by the regime, the events turned out to be very desolate, with very few attendants, mostly agents of the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij.
Meanwhile, the remarks of high-ranking Iranian officials on the occasion shows the tension and fear that is plaguing the entire regime from the ongoing protests across the country and the role that the Iranian opposition is playing.
“Opportunists and anti-revolutionaries want to take advantage of the political turmoil inside the country,” warned Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian regime’s parliament, who spoke on the occasion of the Ashura uprising. “The opponents of the revolution are seeking an opportunity to cause damage to the revolution.”
In a parliament session, MP Naser Mousavi Larigani said, “The 2009 sedition pursued the aims of the PMOI/MEK to destroy our system.”
In Shahr-e Kord, Abdollah Ganji, one of the directors of the IRGC-owned Fars News Agency, said, “The PMOI/MEK members who were relocated from Iraq to Albania are creating content for social media networks.” Ganji also noted that the MEK has had a pivotal role in publishing news about labor strikes and protests and in disclosing the details of the lavish lifestyles of Iranian officials and their children abroad, which is a stark contrast to the extreme poverty that has become the everyday reality of the lives of millions of Iranians.
In Qom, Ahmad Khatami, member of the presidency council of the Assembly of Experts, said, “The people of Tehran saw eight months of strife. They saw that [MEK] causes strife on every national celebration. On every national and religious celebration, they undermine the security of the people.”
Jahanbakhsh Mohebinia, another member of the regime’s parliament, revealed the Iranian regime’s fear of the prospects of protests in 2020, saying, “The government and judiciary should not paint an eventful picture of the year to come. The current Persian year has not yet ended and we’re already talking about what troubles we’ll be facing next year.”
Previously, various regime officials had blamed the MEK for the Ashura uprising, including Ahmad Alamolhoda, one of the senior clerics and a regular speaker at Tehran’s Friday prayers, who had famously said, “The rioters of Ashura [2009] were chanting the slogans of the [MEK], so they were the assistance of [MEK]. The [MEK] commanded the movements on Ashura day.”
Those chants, which call for the ovethrow of the Iranian regime in its entirety, have now become an everyday reality that manifests itself in protests of every segment of the Iranian society, including workers, teachers, students, truck drivers, merchants and farmers. All across Iran, the people are rightly blaming the regime for their economic, social and political grievings and are increasingly calling for the overthrow of the regime. The fears of Iranian officials are indeed well-placed.
