A wave of protests swept across Iran on Sunday, May 19, reflecting deep unrest among retirees, working populations, and families grappling with welfare issues. From the capital, Tehran, to cities such as Kerman, Ahvaz, and Mashhad, demonstrators from various sectors took to the streets to express their frustrations and demand change.
In Tehran, retired teachers organized a large demonstration outside the Planning and Budget Organization to express their dissatisfaction with unmet demands. The protests were marked by significant participation and conveyed feelings of neglect from government officials. Security forces also thwarted attempts by teachers from Marivan to join the protest, highlighting tensions between the protesters and state security.
May 19—Tehran, #Iran
Retired employees of the education sector hold protest rally in front of the Planning and Budget Organization as the regime continues to ignore their demands.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/S7UK5VVItF— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) May 19, 2024
In Kerman, southeastern Iran, railway workers protested the dismissal of their colleagues and what the regime’s negligence toward their demands for better pay and work conditions.
At the same time, in Isfahan and Tehran, steel industry retirees rallied to demand better pensions in response to rising living costs. According to the regime’s own laws, the government is required to adjust their pensions according to the costs of living. But as prices and inflation continue to skyrocket, their pensions have not changed.
May 19—Ahvaz, southwest #Iran
Retirees of the steel industry resume protest rallies to reiterate their demands for higher pensions according to the rising costs of living.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/5Q7Us2sSo2— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) May 19, 2024
In Ahvaz and Kermanshah, retirees from the Social Security Organization took to the streets, chanting slogans denouncing the incompetence of Ebrahim Raisi’s administration and declaring their resilience in the face of threats, imprisonment, and even execution. Their grievances primarily focus on the need for higher pensions and the meeting of basic needs. In Shush, demonstrators similarly protested, with poignant chants urging the government to prioritize economic issues over strict social regulations, such as enforced dress codes.
May 19—Ahvaz, southwest #Iran
Retirees of the Social Security Organization rally to reiterate their demands for higher pensions.
Protesters chanting:
"Incompetent Raisi, go back to the seminary"
"Neither threats, nor prison, nor executions will stop us"pic.twitter.com/MmKxV3yFRA— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) May 19, 2024
Compounding the nationwide protests, families with autistic children gathered in Mashhad to protest the poor conditions and services provided by the government welfare organization. These families carried banners accusing the organization of negligence and incompetence, highlighting the dire situation facing vulnerable groups in Iran. One of the protesters said, “I’m a working mother with an autistic child. I must have the right to have access to decent childcare.”
May 19—Mashhad, northeast #Iran
Families with autistic children hold protest rally in front of the office of the State Welfare Organization, protesting poor conditions and services.
Placards read:
"The silent death of autistic children in Welfare centers"
"The Welfare… pic.twitter.com/z7wpyb5lXK— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) May 19, 2024
Meanwhile, jewelers at Tehran’s Hakimi Shopping Center and traders at Qom’s Gold Market expressed their opposition to the new tax regulations, indicating widespread economic discontent across various business sectors. The strikes have been ongoing for several days in many cities across the country. The regime is constantly imposing new regulations and taxes to cover its budget deficit. The new rules will tax gold merchants on their assets and transactions in extreme ways.
May 19—Tehran, #Iran
Goldsmiths of Hakimi shopping center hold rally in protest to new tax rules.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/9WG1Q7mPBu— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) May 19, 2024
The May 19 protests were characterized by a common theme: rejection of the regime’s incompetence and corruption. Chants such as “Incompetent Raisi, go back to the seminary” and “The government’s only job is to steal the people’s money” underscored the demonstrators’ disillusionment with the policies of the current administration and the regime.
The growing number of people below the poverty line in Iran is due to government policies and a lack of basic measures to support the livelihoods of low-income classes. Due to accumulated inflation and runaway prices, the vulnerable classes, especially workers, are at risk of falling further below the poverty line.
While the Iranian people grow poorer every day, the Iranian regime continues to fund terrorist groups, preferring to spend the country’s remaining funds on militancy and the killing of innocent people, rather than on developing and prospering Iran.