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Hunger sparks anti-government protests in Iran
Recent protests over food prices in Iran are the latest in a series of protests in the Islamic Republic. JANE GREEN assesses the present upsurge in opposition to the regime.
An elderly man carries his shopping in front of a grocery store in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, May 11, 2022.
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THE current protests in Iran are the latest in a wave of significant protests and uprisings in recent years. In December 2017 demonstrations against the regime lasted into January 2018, spreading to well over 100 cities and towns across the country.
Anti-government slogans were a key feature of the protests, unusual in a society as tightly controlled as Iran, and included “death to the dictator” — Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — and “death to Rouhani,” the regime’s so-called reformist president at that time.
Further protests followed in November 2019, after the announcement of petrol price hikes. This came at a time when unemployment, poverty and inflation were having a major impact following the intensification of US sanctions.
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