Teachers protest across Iran despite Khamenei’s threats and oppressive provisions

Teachers’ protests – No. 1

NCRI - Since Thursday morning, May 7, gatherings by noble teachers and education-system employees in protest to the hardships in their lives and that of their families have begun in Tehran and many cities across the country, including Mashhad, Esfahan, Tabriz, Zanjan, Sanandaj, Hamedan, Qazvin, Shahr-e Kord, Sabzevar, Damghan, Shiraz, Sari, Kermanshah, Ahwaz, Babol, Marivan, Ardebil, Qom, Bushehr and Gatvand.

In Tehran, 6000 teachers assembled in front of regime’s parliament. This gathering began at 9:30 a.m. despite the fact that the security forces and intelligence agents had been stationed in the area from early morning who attempted to prevent any assembly of teachers by employing various methods.

The protesting teachers are carrying placards that read “I shall cry out, no matter what; dreading this storm and dreading this injustice”, “Free imprisoned teacher Rasoul Bodaqi”, “Teacher is vigilant and detests prejudice”, “We demand hiring of kindergarten and contract teachers”, “Free and equal education is the right of all children of this nation”, “Teacher cries out, media censors” and “Stop privatizing schools and turning education into business”.

Teachers’ protests are held while yesterday mullahs’ regime supreme leader Khamenei emphasized that “teachers are aware of the conspiracies of the enemies and those vengeful against the Islamic system who are planning to bring up seditious, strategic and political slogans under the pretext of teachers’ livelihood to create problems for the system”, thus giving the green light for preventing teachers’ gatherings and their suppression.

Concurrently, repressive agents resorted to all sorts of threats and arrests to thwart these protest gatherings. Wednesday night, May 6, regime’s Intelligence Ministry threatened the General Secretary and the spokesman of Iran’s Teachers Union with 10- and 9-year prison terms compelling them to quit their positions and announce that they shall not partake in the gatherings.

Moreover, a number of teachers’ activists in Tehran and other cities were summoned and threatened by the intelligence agents or alternatively received phone calls warning them not to participate in the Thursday’s gatherings.