Popular protests and confrontations of the youth with the suppressive forces, motorcycle patrols by thugs called “Ansar Hezbollah”, and herds of Basij forces, as well as the beating up of regime’s elements in cities around the country, has been on the rise. The intensity of these confrontations is such that some of regime’s senior officials have been forced to acknowledge the failure of these suppressive policies. Mullah Moqtadaei, Member of the regime’s Assembly of Expert, confessed that the policy of “flogging and imprisoning” to confront “mal-veiling” has failed (Fars News Agency, affiliated with IRGC – 13 July, 2014).
Some examples of popular resistance during recent days are as follows:
1. On Sunday, July 20, the people and the youth of city of Ahvaz clashed with the suppressive forces’ patrol that intended to arrest a young woman.
2. On this same day, in the Sayyadan Avenue in the city of Bandar Abbas, the youth clashed with elements of the State Security Forces (SSF) that had interfered with their festivities. In fear of the spread of this protest movement, the suppressive forces fired shots into the air.
3. On Friday, July 18, in front of the very eyes of the Basij hirelings, the revolutionary youth in the Cheizar District of Tehran tore up the picture of Khamenei, mullahs’ regime supreme leader that had been posted on a large banner in the street and fled the scene. The Basij forces hurriedly chased the youth and set up checkpoints, but failed to chase them down.
4. On that same night, the youth in the Sa’adabad District of Tehran confronted agents of the SSF who were harassing young men and women and beat up one of the agents. The suppressive forces attacked a boy and a girl with batons and electric shockers and arrested them after giving them a beating.
5. On July 17, a number of the youth in the Seasangan Forest-Park clashed with suppressive elements who started harassing them on the pretext of not observing the fasting in Ramadan. During the clashes, the suppressive forces beat up a number of the youth and took them away to an unknown location.
6. On Tuesday, July 15, the people of Sarkhoon, a village near Bandar Abbas, clashed with SSF elements. In the attack by SSF forces two villagers were injured and taken to the hospital. The villagers were protesting harassments by regime’s elements on the pretext of fuel smuggling. Three days prior, the SSF elements had attacked and killed deprived villagers of Kouveh in Qeshm killing three and wounding six.
7. On July 13, a number of sportswomen who were returning from their sports club near Hassanabad Square in Tehran clashed with women agents of the Islamic Guidance Patrol who were harassing them. Several women were arrested in this clash.
8. On July 12, a group of the youth in Jamshidia Park of Tehran clashed with the Basij elements and gave them a beating. The Basij elements were harassing the youth on the pretext of not observing fasting in Ramadan.
9. On July 11, a number of the youth in Fardiss District of Karaj clashed with SSF elements who were patrolling with motorcycles and battered them. The clash followed an attempt by the SSF elements to harass women on the pretext of mal-veiling.
10. Around 2 a.m. on July 9, SSF elements arrested several women in Niavaran Park in Tehran. Following the resistance of the women and their protests, together with people who came to their support, regime’s elements were forced to release the arrestees.
11. On July 8, a number of the youth in Tonekabon, clashed with the Basij elements who were harassing them in the main square of the town. As the clashes spread out, back up forces were dispatched to the scene who arrested the youth and took them to an undisclosed location.
12. On July 7, a number of the youth in Mellat Park of Tehran clashed with plainclothes agents. The agents were harassing the youth on the pretext of “promotion of virtue and prevention of vice”.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
July 21, 2014