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Source: https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/iranians-fear-social-ostracism-more-than-the-regime
Ordinary Iranians Have Formed a Collective Resistance to the Regime
(Middle East Forum) Shay Khatiri - In Iran, the balance of fear has changed. Organically, Iranians have formed a collective resistance that surpasses the state's capacity to crack down on it. There are not enough prison cells to make a dent in the movement. People still fear the Islamic Republic, but few people are still scared of showing their faces when they condemn the regime. People are increasingly at ease to participate in collective resistance, such as classroom protests, attending funerals, leading anti-regime chants, and going on strike. A decade ago, the cowards feared participating in anti-regime activities. Today, they fear skipping them. Nobody wants to be remembered as the person who did not participate in protests, in case the regime falls. The writer is a senior fellow at the Yorktown Institute.