Iranians go on strike to commemorate 2019 fuel demonstrations

Iranians went on strike across several cities this week to commemorate the 2019 protests over fuel prices. The strike comes amidst ongoing protests against the country’s clerical rulers following the death of Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini.

Iranians on Tuesday went on strike to commemorate the 2019 demonstrations that led to one of the most brutal crackdowns by the Islamic Republic’s security forces. This week’s strike will likely add more pressure onto the country’s clerical rulers, who have sought to blame foreign enemies for the current anti-government protests over Amini’s death in the custody of the morality police.

Videos that were shared on social media showed strikes and gatherings in marking the 2019 demonstrations. One account, 1500tasvir on Twitter, showed videos of shops that were closed down in the Tehran Bazaar for the strikes, with demonstrators shouting anti-government slogans. Hengaw also reported mass strikes taking place in the predominantly Kurdish cities in northern and northwestern Iran, with universities also going on strike.

The Azad University in the capital Tehran also went on strike, and the 1500tasvir account shared a video of the empty corridors and closed doors of the university. The account also showed a video of people at the metro station chanting “death to the dictator,” the slogan that referred to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Steelworkers in Isfahan in central Iran also joined the strike. The workers were heard saying, “enough with the promises, our table is empty.” There has been increasing support from various walks of life in Iranian society for the protests, and the European Union has imposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic over its crackdown on the demonstrations.

In remarks at the World Congress against the Death Penalty, German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock called out Iran for using the death penalty to suppress the opposition, saying that executions are especially used in authoritarian regimes.

“We are experiencing this again in Iran, where a death sentence has now been pronounced against a person who has done nothing other than stand up for their liberal and civil rights,” said Baerbock. “We have no doubt about what we think of the regime’s brutal repression against its own people.”