Maryam Rajavi applauded the brave retirees and farmers for their strength in protesting against the mullahs, despite severe threats from the so-called security forces and a violent crackdown that the Regime launched on protesters over the past 12 months.

The retirees in Tehran gathered in front of the Regime’s Parliament and began to chant slogans like “we will not rest until we get our rights”, “worker, teacher, student, unity, unity”, and “we are all together”. While retirees in Mashhad also gathered to demand their rights.

Maryam Rajavi said that the repressive forces of the Regime are trying in vain to stop these protests by bringing in increased security forces, imposing restrictions on peaceful protest, and arresting protesters, but the protesters must persist.

In Isfahan, thousands of farmer gathered at Khaju Bridge and the Zayandehrood dry riverbed to protest the erasure of their water rights, demand that water flow to Zayandehrood be reopened, and expose the deceptive and unfulfilled promises of the Iranian Regime. They chanted slogans like “[The] farmer dies, he does not accept humiliation”, “Victory comes from the God, death to this deceiving government is a deceitful person”, “Even if we die, we will get our water right, Zayandehrood water is our inalienable right”, and “Liar Rouhani, where is our Zayandehrood”.

The Regime tried to prevent the protest, fearful of the legitimate anger of the protesters, so they mobilised their security forces, including plain clothes agents, as well as armoured vehicles and water cannons to the site of the protest. The Regime even reportedly slowed the internet speeds to stop the farmers from communicating with each other, and seized phones and radios from protesters.

Maryam Rajavi said that when the protester marched down towards the 33Pol Bridge, they were met with the Regime’s security forces. The repressive agents tried to arrest the farmers by shooting in the air, becoming violent and even arresting a number of the protesters, but they resisted.

Maryam Rajavi said: “Plainclothes criminals and state security forces attacked protesters, a large number of whom were elderly farmers.”

The protesters actually managed to prevent the advance of the security forces by sitting down the street, stop the Regime agents from addressing the crowd, and shouted “rapscallion, rapscallion” at the agents.

In her statement, Maryam Rajavi called on the Iranian people, specifically women and the youth, to support the protests and demonstrations. Maryam Rajavi said that the Iranian people must take part in this uprising to bring about the downfall of the mullahs, all the quicker.