Ali Rabiei: The protests were predictable, we didn’t pay attention.
Ali Rabiei, the former government spokesperson, questioned whether the protests and dissenting mindsets emerged overnight. Did all those in the streets and universities, showing an unconventional aspect of political behavior, from protesting for behavioral change to displaying subversive violence, and all those millions who showed solidarity from behind their windows, were they all foreign agents or influenced by foreign psychological operations and suddenly emerged?
A review of some scientific and journalistic articles from institutions like ISPA, some universities, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and even the national broadcaster indicates that in all these surveys, the changes in reference groups, people’s outlook on the future, the level of hope, the declining slope of social capital, and the loss of trust in the government and institutions were not promising.