Hundreds of people, especially young people, had gathered outside of the police station on Wednesday, May 16, to demand the release of protesters, arrested at an earlier peaceful demonstration against the redrawing the boundaries of the city to create a new town.

At first, one of the Iran’s leading Imams, Mullah Khorsand, attempted to deceive the protesters into dispersing, but they saw through his lies and heckled him.

Shortly after, the suppressive forces used tear gas and shot bullets into the air, but when the protesters refused to back down, Iran’s personal terror squad opened fire into the crowd.

The protesters tried to defend themselves with anything they had to hand, including stones and pieces of wood, which has been wrongly categorised as violence is some sections of the media.

The clashes between the security forces and the unarmed protesters spread over the city and continued past midnight, until additional reinforcements for the security forces arrived at 1 am. The police station was burnt down during the clashes.

Meanwhile, shop owners in Kazeroun went on strike, leaving their shops closed and the market shut down.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) issued a statement supporting the protesters and urging others to do the same. They also called on international human rights organizations to take action to get the prisoners released.

Previous protest

During the protest against redrawing the city’s boundaries, at least 30 people were arrested by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence.

The protesters wanted to gather outside the city’s governorate office, but were stopped by the suppressive security forces.

The protesters chanted slogans like “Our enemy is right here, they falsely claim it is the US”; “Do not be afraid, do not be afraid, we are all together”, and “Fervent Kazerounis, get united; we are ready to defend Kazeroun”.

Regime change

Of course, these protests are not limited to Kazeroun. They are part of the Iranian people’s uprising that was sparked last December by the release of a draft budget that increased funding for the suppressive security forces and slashed subsidies for the poor.

The protests quickly took on other issues, like human rights and an end to Iran’s regional aggression, and the protesters banded together to tell the word that the mullahs are incapable of addressing these problems; indeed they are at the root of most of them. The only way to address these problems is to completely remove the Regime from power.

This is the overwhelming desire of the Iranian people, who are calling for change at every opportunity, and the international community should support the Iranian people.