
New Anti-Government Chants Heard in Tehran Following Massive Diaspora Rallies
Residents in Iran shouted slogans against the country’s clerical leadership from windows and balconies Sunday, just one day after huge opposition demonstrations were held by Iranians abroad across Europe and North America.
Although street protests have largely subsided under the weight of a deadly regime crackdown, people in Tehran and other cities have recently begun voicing anti-government slogans from the safety of their homes in large apartment complexes.
In the latest night of chants, residents of the eastern Tehran neighborhood of were heard shouting “death to Khamenei,” “death to the Islamic republic,” and “long live the shah,” according to the Shahrak Ekbatan social media account, which monitors the area.
, son of the deposed shah, has encouraged Iranians inside the country to stage such actions in parallel with the major pro-monarchy protests held abroad over the weekend.
Police in reported that 250,000 people attended a large rally there on Saturday; noteworthy because Pahlavi addressed the crowd in person. Similar demonstrations were held in diaspora centers including and .
Pahlavi’s office stated on that more than a million people participated in such rallies worldwide, though the number could not be independently confirmed.
The Persian-language broadcaster , which operates outside , reported that similar anti-government chanting took place in other parts of Tehran as well. It broadcast footage of people shouting, “This is the final battle; Pahlavi is coming back,” and “Death to the Guards,” referring to the regime’s ideological military force, the .
According to the outlet, hostile slogans were also heard in other cities, including and .