WASHINGTON (AP) – Singing crowds marched in streets of Berlin, Washington and Los Angeles on Saturday in a show of international support for demonstrators facing cruel government suppression in Irancaused death of 22-year- old Mahsa Amini in guardianship of the morality police of this country.
On the US National Mall, thousands of women as well as men of all ages – wearing green, white and red, colors of flag of iran – shouted in rhythm. “Be scared. Be scared. We one in this,” shouted the demonstrators before marching to the White House. “Say her name! Machsa!
The demonstrations, organized by grassroots organizers from across the United States, drew Iranians from all over Washington, DC. area, with some travel down from Toronto to join crowd.
To Los Angeles home to the biggest population of Iranians outside of Iran, crowd of the protesters formed a slow moving procession through the blocks of closed city center street. They sang for the fall of Iran government and waved hundreds of Iranian flags that turned the horizon into a wavy wave of red, white and green.
“We want freedom, he thundered.
Shuka Sharm, lawyer who was born in USA after her parents fled the Iranian revolution, was wearing T-shirt with slogan “Women, life, freedom” in English and Farsi. In Iran”women are like a second-class citizen and they are sick of it,” Charm said.
Iran’s nationwide anti-government protest movement first concentrated on obligatory wearing of the hijab in the country for women after Amiri death on 16 of September. The demonstrations there have since become the greatest challenge to the Islamic Republic after the 2009 Green Movement over controversial elections. In Tehran on Saturday, more anti-government protests took place at several universities.
Iranian security forces dispersed gatherings in this country with live ammunition and tear gas, killing over 200 people, including teenage girls, according to human rights groups.
Biden administration says it condemns brutality and repression against townspeople of Iran and what it will look like for ways to impose more sanctions against Iranian government if the violence continues.
Between chants the protesters in DC broke into the song traditional Persian music about life and freedom – everything was written after the revolution in 1979 brought religious fundamentalists to power in Iran. They sang one in specific in unison – “baraye”, which means because of which has become an unofficial anthem of Iran is protesting. Painter of that song, Sherwin Khajipour, was arrested shortly after publication song on his instagram in end of September. He was growing more over 40 million views.
“Because of women life, freedom,” the protesters sang, echoing the popular protest chant “Azadi” – freedom.
Traffic in Iran rooted in the same problems as in United States and around the world, said protester Samin Aayanifard, 28, who left Iran three years ago. “It’s a forced hijab in Iran here too in America, in 50 years, women’s bodies are under control,” Aayanifard said. who was traveling from East Lansing, Michigan to join DC march. She referred to kickbacks of abortion laws in United States. “It’s about control over women bodies”.
Few weeks of Saturday solidarity rallies in in the US capital drawn growing crowds.
In Berlin, a crowd gathered, according to German police, several dozen people. of thousands turned around out to show solidarity for in women and activists leading Traffic for in past few weeks in Iran. protests in The capital of Germany, organized by the Freedom of Life Collective “Woman (asterisk)”, began at the Victory Column. in Berlin’s Tiergarten park and continued marching through the center of Berlin.
Some demonstrators said they came from somewhere else. in Germany and other European countries to show them support.
“Is it so important for us be here, be voice of in people of Iran, who killed on streets, said Shakib Lolo, who from Iran, but lives in Netherlands. “And this is no longer a protest, this is a revolution, in Iran. And people of in world you have to see it.”
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Blood reported from Los Angeles.
Watch hotspots coverage of Iran at: https://apnews.com/hub/iran
