IRAN Protests: What you need to know about the Iran protests in 20 points

[grossproffit]

1 On Tuesday, December 19, the Iranian government announced a new austerity plan.

2 The plan imposed a 50% increase in the price of fuel.

3 The government decided to cancel the monetary support of more than 34 million people.

4 Economists close to President Hassan Rouhani warned that the plan would lead to a societal explosion.

5 Hassan Rouhani snubbed the advice and decided to proceed with the austerity plan.

6 In this same austerity plan, the government decided to increase the budget for military armament.

16 Demonstrators called on the regime to stop supporting terrorist groups abroad and said clearly in the slogans they chanted “Neither Gaza nor Lebanon ... my soul is searching for the redemption of Iran.”

17 The massive demonstrations from Khorasan province extended to other provinces including Hamdan, Kermanshah and Tehran.

18 Security forces violently treated demonstrators and tried to disperse them with tear gas and arrested hundreds of them.

19 The clerics in Mashhad specifically called for the suppression of demonstrations by all means.

20 The geographical scope of the demonstrations is expected to expand to include provinces such as Sistan, Baluchistan and Persia, with its capital, Shiraz and Isfahan, which also witnessed massive demonstrations at the weekend.

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2017/12/30/All-you-need-to-know-about-the-Iran-protests-in-20-points.html

[grossproffit]

1. Death to the dictator: Videos show intensified Iran protests overnight

Iranian protests across several cities continued throughout Friday night.

Demonstrators expressed their rejection of corruption and repression, calling for “dictator” Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to stand down.

Economic protests began Thursday, sparked by social media posts and a surge in prices of basic food supplies, like eggs and poultry.

Thousands went into the streets in several cities in Iran, beginning first in Mashhad, the country's second-largest city and a holy site for Shiite pilgrims. Demonstrators also have criticized Iran's government during the protests. There have been arrests reported in some areas.

The rallies quickly spread to the cities of Tehran, Isfahan, Ahwaz and Rasht. Protesters called for Khamenei to exit power, chanting slogans such as “death to the dictator” and “our rights under the cloak of the mullahs. "

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2017/12/30/-Death-to-the-dictator-Videos-show-intensified-Iran-protests-overnight.html

[grossproffit]

2. FLASHBACK: 100,000 Iranian women march against forced veiling in 1979

Hundreds of men eventually attacked the protesters. Several women who stood their ground with considerable courage were stabbed as they chanted slogans for equal rights.

[grossproffit]

3. FLASHBACK: March 8, 1979 Iranian Women March Against Hijab and Islamic Laws

This is the English translation of the report about the Iranian women March which happened less than three weeks after the uprising of people in February. This report is about the resistance of women against the Islamic Regime which was from March 7 to 11th in 1979. Oppression of the Islamic Regime like other Islamic movement starts by attacking the women movement first.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. +1. I'm glad the Evangelicals aren't a bigger political force than they are.

Last week, I considered that if Congress could get a very unpopular tax "reform" enacted, then barring any law being unconstitutional (for now), they could do social engineering with women as well in increments.

[grossproffit]

11. TEHRAN, IRAN 1976 Before the Dark Revolution

[pampango]

5. Cut the safety net; increase defense spending; hit the resulting protesters with

some serious "law-and-order".

Has a familiar ring to it. Conservatives being conservatives.

[Ferrets are Cool]

8. That was my very first thought also. nm

[romanic]

6. I hope this leads to a secular Iran.

But I doubt it, theocratic Islamic rule is just too strong in the country.

[Igel]

7. The revolt in Egypt that brought down the government went this way.

A lot did, but nobody focused on anything more than what they wanted to hear. We heard "young, liberal, 'give us democracy'."

We didn't hear, "Reduction in government subsidies is going to hurt us, and we're the ones with a lot of free time since there's high young adult unemployment rates. We want democracy, because democracy brings prosperity. Down with the dictator ... who's keeping us from having nice things!"

Then if there was a government put down of the revolt, we nodded wisely against dictators.

Then if there was a change in government, we nodded wisely at the wisdom of our ways. Then watched in horror as the 'liberal democrats' who were protesting weren't all liberal nor all democrats, and in short order the fiscal austerity caused by a lack of revenue led to more protests. At least in Egypt. (In Libya, not so much protests, just civil war. In Syria, civil war. Tunisia mostly worked ... because those who'd be doing civil war decided to go to ISIS or Libya.)

Even the "Neither Gaza nor Lebanon" is basically saying, "How can we help people elsewhere when I need stuff?"

[grossproffit]

9. Iran cuts off internet access in several cities as mass protests continue

Several reports indicate that telecoms providers in Iran have begun blocking internet access across several cities in the country as mass protests erupted for the third day in a row.

Among the telecoms company was Hamrahe Aval, the primary Mobile Telecommunication Company of Iran (MTCI or MCI) as social media continues to play a pivotal role in documenting mass protests and subsequent brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters in the country.

The MTCI is considered a firm jointly held by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other firms controlled by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran’s two main internet and communications service providers are the Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI) and Irancell. TCI and its subsidiaries, including MCI, are owned by Tosee Etemad Mobin Company which has close links to Iran’s IRGC.

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2017/12/31/Iran-cuts-off-Internet-service-in-several-cities-as-mass-protests-erupt.html

[roamer65]

10. The wars in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and support of Hezbollah in Lebanon are killing their economy.

But the IRGC won’t give in without full scale bloodshed.

I expect an IRGC military dictatorship to emerge lead by Major General Qasem Soleimani very soon.

They especially will focus on keeping Khuzestan province in line. 90 pct of their oil production is in that province and it’s Arab Shi’a, not Persian.