(Ha'aretz) Tamar Eilam Gindin - The violent disturbances have been going on for a few months, but were not frequent or noteworthy enough to receive media attention. After the heavy media coverage of the protests against corruption in Mashhad, other demonstrators took to the streets. This wave of protests is not just about economic issues, and it would be impossible to satisfy the protesters even with far-reaching economic reforms. They want to be rid of the Islamic Republic and become a secular democracy. Every Iranian I've talked to said the conservatives started these demonstrations in order to get rid of President Rohani because he's too open to the West. Since the demonstrations weren't immediately suppressed, Iranians concluded that the first demonstrators were there on behalf of the regime, but then things got out of hand. The writer is an Iran researcher at Shalem College in Jerusalem.
2018-01-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive