Mostafa Hashemi Taba said that disrespect was initiated by some officials, with Ahmadinejad being the first.
Mostafa Hashemi Taba, a reformist political activist, spoke about the roots of the recent protests to the Century New.
The disrespect and insults have their roots in the behavior of the officials. When the parliament curses the president, the foreign minister, or the Atomic Energy Organization, or when some regime-affiliated newspapers make accusations and tell lies, people have learned from them. Some ask why there is cursing in the universities. Naturally, cursing is a bad thing, but they have learned it from some of the officials.
For instance, when Mr. Larijani went to Qom for a speech, he was insulted, or they curse Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani and Seyed Hassan Khomeini. At the forefront of this are the parliament and the platforms they have. Disrespect was initiated by some officials, and it started with Mr. Ahmadinejad. Others saw that it was possible to curse, so they did. We must ask why some officials and older individuals resort to cursing.
