Who is the leader of the nationwide protests in Iran?
Who is the leader of the nationwide protests in Iran? The publication of a quote from Masih Alinejad, who introduced herself as the leader of Iran’s protest movement, particularly among women, led to a wave of objections, forcing her to retract her statement. However, this was neither her first nor her only retreat in recent days due to some of her remarks. Alinejad’s opponents argued that the leadership of these protests belongs to the same women and men, girls and boys, who have risked their lives to take to the streets, and no one has the right to claim ownership of it.
But who truly leads this movement? While people from every class, gender, and political thought, except the revolutionary value spectrum, have joined the protests, and this colorful participation is very evident on social networks, the presence of two groups is particularly prominent not just on social media but also on the streets: women and the generation of the 2000s. Many media and political activists argue that if any group is entitled to lead this movement, it is these two groups: women and the 2000s generation.
Are women the leaders of the nationwide protests in Iran?
In feminist theories and women’s movements, there is a strong central idea: the belief in horizontal hierarchies instead of vertical ones and the rejection of any form of individual power-seeking, similar to what exists in patriarchal structures. The women’s movement, by rejecting male-centered individual power, seeks to distribute power within the decision-making and female action structures and emphasizes the idea of sisterhood, meaning the solidarity of women’s networks, as the only way to escape the oppressive patriarchal structure.
This phenomenon seems to clearly manifest itself in the Iranian protest movement, without apparently carrying a specific feminist idea or theory.
Although many have labeled this movement as the first feminist revolution in history or the current century, it seems that the leadership of this movement is not necessarily and solely with women in general or with women’s movement activists in particular. Although the key slogan of these protests is ‘Woman, Life, Freedom,’ and although opposing the morality police and mandatory hijab were among the initial demands of these protests, and even though the main carriers and agents of these protests are women, with some women’s rights activists among the detainees, this is only part of the current puzzle.
In a broader view, we are facing not just a gender but a generational confrontation, including both girls and boys who have taken to the streets to demand their lifestyle—a lifestyle that, although apparently a social demand, has been blocked by political barriers.
Are the 2000s generation the leaders of the nationwide protests in Iran?
Can it be said that the leaders of Iran’s protest movement are the men and women of the 2000s generation, those whose presence and expression on the streets are more prominent than the generations before them, those who were previously labeled as a generation without ideals or concerns? Abbas Kazemi, an assistant professor at the Institute for Cultural and Social Studies and author of ‘The Everyday in Post-Revolutionary Society,’ had warned long ago that if the policies governing people’s everyday lives continue as in previous decades, we will witness radical actions from this generation.
Previously, when analysts labeled the 2000s generation as an identity-less, ideal-less generation, he said in an interview with the weekly ‘Tejarat Farda’ that this generation is not without ideals; rather, the ideal is within their lives. Unlike previous generations whose ideals were outside and beyond their everyday lives, this generation wants to deal with the conflicts within their everyday lives. It is a generation that does not favor external interventions in their lives.
Therefore, if the policies on everyday life continue as before, meaning the intervention remains as it is, the actions within everyday life will be drawn towards greater ideals again, and everyday life will become deeply radical. Therefore, the perception of today’s youth as useless, identity-less, and apolitical is incorrect, and everything depends on how everyday life is managed by the government. His prediction was entirely accurate; the interventions increased to such an extent that this generation took to the streets.
Are K-pop fans on the streets the leaders of the nationwide protests in Iran?
But how should this generation be recognized, a generation that is a fan of the Korean music group K-pop and can even be identified on Twitter with a specific and distinct identity in the clustering analysis of the hashtag Mahsa Amini? Ali Asghar Seydabadi, a journalist and writer in the field of children and adolescents, writes in an article titled ‘Understanding the 2000s Generation’ that this generation are global citizens who interact with their peers in games and social networks.
They have stepped out of dualistic frameworks and truly live in a different world. They enjoy unconditional family support, and in the middle class, most household expenses are spent on their comfort, peace, education, and leisure.
Their world is broader, and their voice is louder.
He considers this generation as a product of more democratic families, where their voices are heard at home, and their lifestyle is recognized, and for this reason, they consider it their right in society. Seydabadi says that a look at the videos released shows that the scene for them is more indicative of a kind of game and performance, and that part of this violence is carried out with the intent to mock and laugh at the law enforcement and security forces present at the scene.
He writes that, of course, this does not mean depoliticizing these acts of violence, and perhaps the performance is also part of this political action, but it has no precedent in any of the previous movements. He believes that this generation uses cursing as a form of communicative language in their protests that should not be interpreted.
The nationwide protests started due to the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of Tehran’s morality police. Iran Gate has covered this topic extensively from the beginning. You can access these articles by searching for Mahsa Amini.
- The Morality Police’s Crime in Raisi’s Government
- How not to get arrested during protests