Home News Protests Iranians Continue Protests; at Least Seven Rallies and Strikes on May 19

Iranians Continue Protests; at Least Seven Rallies and Strikes on May 19

On May 19, the people of Iran held at least seven protests, venting their anger over the government’s plundering and profiteering policies.

On May 19, the people of Iran held at least seven rallies, protests, and strikes in various cities, venting their anger over the government’s plundering and profiteering policies. In Tehran, college-graduated teachers rallied in front of the Education Ministry following lawmakers’ indifference toward their demands.

Furthermore, defrauded investors of Tehran’s Securities and Exchanges Organization once again rallied in front of the organization. Miners in Kerman province, truckers in Markazi province, and workers in West Azarbaijan province continued strikes and rallies for several days in a row.

Rally of Asimoun Miners

Kerman province—for the third day in a row, miners of Asimoun Chromite Mine at the Manoojan district continued their protests. On Tuesday, they blocked the road linking Kahnouj city to Bandar Abbas. The government dispatched riot forces to the place. However, the miners resisted, and the road is still blocked.

On Tuesday night, miners spent their night inside the Manoojan tunnel showing their determination for obtaining their inherent rights. It was recently revealed that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been the main beneficiary of the mine.

Rally of College-Graduated Teachers

Tehran province—college-graduated teachers, known as green-certificate holders, once again rallied in front of the Education Ministry at the Ferdowsi Square.

In recent weeks, they time and again gathered in front of the Parliament (Majlis) urging lawmakers to force the Education Ministry to employ them. However, the Majlis’s inaction drove green-certificate holders to stage another rally in front of the Education Ministry.

“Despite our difficulties and efforts, we were eventually interviewed. However, they have yet to recruit us after one year. Many of us hold Ph.D. or post-grad documents. They invited us two or three times for an interview. But given the lack of jobs, we have been deprived of our rights. We demand that all green-certificate holders be employed,” said a protester.

“Green-certificate holder, raise your voice and shout for your right,” protesters chanted.

Rally of Stockholders

Tehran province—defrauded investors and creditors of Tehran’s Stock Market once again rallied in front of the Securities and Exchange Organization protesting officials’ failure to refund their savings. “Disgrace, come down” and “Death to [CEO Mohammad-Ali Dehghan] Dehnavi,” chanted enraged protesters, expressing their fury.

In recent months, defrauded people staged enormous rallies in front of government offices, including the Bourse and Majlis. However, the government has yet to take steps in favor of millions of citizens who lost their capital.

“In the past year, the Bourse provided $27.2 billion for the economy. The Stock Market was the government’s financial instrument in the past year,” said Dehnavi in a TV program aired on Clubhoust.net on April 16.

In November 2019 and April 2020, the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani encouraged citizens to invest in the Stock Market. However, the people say that the officials misguided them to compensate for their massive budget deficits.

During a Majlis’s public session in April, a lawmaker pointed to public distrust mentioning the people who have lost their savings. “The people do no longer trust you… there is no clearer reason for this distrust than the fact that 50 million Iranians have lost their capital on the Bourse, for which you are responsible,” Alireza Beigi said.

Rally of Truckers

Markazi province—for the fifth day in a row, several truckers continued their rally in front of one of the poultry feed depots in Arak, the province’s capital.

“There is no specified place for loading cargos,” truckers said as a reason for their rally. “Employers have failed to schedule turns, and the Transportation Organization had done nothing to resolve our dilemmas despite our protests. They also dealt with our demands with indifference,” a protester added.

Rally of Health and Medical Retirees

Isfahan province—retirees of health and medical apparatuses staged a gathering in front of the Provincial Governorate protesting officials’ failure to balance their salaries.

“Retiree’s food basket is empty, suppressing retiree is enough,” they chanted. They had also written on a banner, “Special bonus is a definite right for health and medical retirees.”

Strike of Azarkam Workers

West Azarbaijan province—for the third consecutive day, workers of the Azarkam factory in Urmia continued their strike. They held a rally in front of the manager’s office protesting the factory’s failure to pay their salaries from February.

“In such dire circumstances, amid the coronavirus outbreak, and with 300-percent inflation in foodstuff’s prices, we are ashamed in front of our families. We have not received our salaries for around four months,” said a worker.

Azarkam is one of the major factories in Iran, which produces juice, concentrate, and fruit leather. Workers say that no official has yet to pay attention or respond to their demands.

Rally of Safety Advisors

Tehran province—technical protecting and safety advisors staged a rally in front of the Ministry of Cooperative, Labor, and Social Welfare. They protested officials for recent changes in the ministry’s directive. Notably, the government has announced that advisors must be registered in accordance with the new directive.

“We technical protection and safety advisors demand officials stop expiring their licenses. This action can endanger the safety of more than 80 million Iranians,” a protester said.

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