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Iran’s youth protest the regime during the annual Fire Festival

By Matin Karim
People across Iran were celebrating the annual Fire Festival with protests against the mullahs’ regime – March 15, 2022
People across Iran were celebrating the annual Fire Festival with protests against the mullahs’ regime – March 15, 2022

Despite threats from the regime’s so-called judiciary and state police, brave youth in Tehran and cities across Iran celebrated their traditional Fire Festival marking the last Tuesday night of the Persian calendar year before Nowruz on March 21 by setting fire to images and effigies of regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, first regime supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini, and current President Ebrahim Raisi.

Reports from 75 cities across 25 of Iran’s 31 provinces indicate people and rebellious youth were in the streets in large numbers celebrating, hurling homemade sound grenades, setting fire to images of Khamenei and Khomeini, and chanting:

“Hail to Rajavi!” referring to Iranian Resistance leader Massoud Rajavi, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian opposition coalition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

“Death to Khamenei! Khomeini be damned!”

Numerous districts in the Iranian capital of Tehran, including Razzaghi Avenue, District 17, Narmak, Sadeghiyeh, Molavi, Khak-e Sefid, Robat Karim, and others reported rebellious youths resorting to similar measures to voice their protests to the regime. Authorities, fearing these measures erupting into massive anti-regime demonstrations and rallies, completely closed off Tehran’s Pardisan Park.

In the city of Karaj, located just west of Tehran, youths were also seen chanting “Death to Khamenei,” “Death to dictator,” “We answer fire with fire,” and “Hail to Rajavi. In the districts of Kamalshahr, Hesarak, and Gohardasht Square youths were seen hurling handmade sound grenades. State police stationed on the city’s Malek Ashtar Avenue kept their distance and were too afraid to do anything to anger the celebrating youth.

In Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city located in the northeast part of the country, reports indicate people were hearing sounds of firecrackers and sound-grenades.

Desperate to prevent protests and limit the celebrations as much as possible, authorities had launched a massive campaign focusing on confiscating inflammable products prior to Tuesday evening, even arresting many people under various protests.

“We will take firm judicial action against any disruption in public order and security,” said the regime’s public prosecutor in Tehran on Tuesday morning, according to the state-run Entekhab website.

In another similar move, the regime’s state police chief said 20,000 of his personnel are on high alert across Tehran in overt and covert fashion prior to the Fire Festival celebrations, according to a report posted on Sunday by the state-run Khabar Fori media outlet.

The Javan newspaper, an outlet linked to the regime’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), wrote the following on March 12: “Concerns remain regarding the events that may take place during the annual Fire Festival. For a few years now, ever since firecrackers have been used in these Fire Festivals, the method used to hold these celebrations have changed dramatically. Dangerous behaviors hidden in socially disruptive means are surfacing… Despite the various measures adopted by the police to confront those disrupting public security, we have yet to witness security and order be restored to our streets during this night of the year…”

From March 1 the Social Department of the Iranian opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) had been calling on the general public to celebrate the Fire Festival and set fire to images of Khamenei and Raisi.

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