New Yorkers are expressing solidarity with the Iranian people, who are holding massive protests calling for regime change in the name of freedom.
As widespread political protests escalate across Iran, New Yorkers are actively showing their solidarity with Iranian demonstrators, supporting their fight against the country’s decades-old oppressive rule.
“This is enormous. The country was held back for so long. Now the will of the people is showing,” Jacob, a New Yorker from Queens, told amNewYork.
Scores of deaths and injuries have occurred as of Jan. 11, according to the United Nations, as a result of the historic wave of anti-government demonstrations. Iranians are demanding an end to the oppressive rule established by the Ayatollah—also referred to as the country’s “Supreme Leader.” The religious government seized control in 1979, replacing a previous monarchy that, according to many historians, had its own issues but still allotted more fairness than the current rule.
Protesters in Iran have taken to the streets in recent days, burning images of their leaders, replacing flags and listening to Western rock music. These are just a handful of activities forbidden under the Middle Eastern country’s current Islamic fundamentalist government, which first came to power in 1978.
Some even dare to destroy photos and images of the Ayatollah.
Taking off the hijab to ‘get power back’ in Iran
One Iranian-American spoke to amNewYork, anonymously out of fear of retaliation, to explain the significance of the protests.
“They reached a point where they can’t hold on anymore. They can’t just blindly go on with their lives being oppressed, having every right taken from them,” she said. “They’re not allowed to dance, they’re not allowed to even walk a dog in the streets. Taking the hijab off is not only an act of defiance, if you can call it that, but it is also saying, ‘I take my power back. We’re no longer going to live like this.'”
The interviewee’s parents and older brother were born in Iran. They left in 1979 during the Islamic Revolution. Though she was born in Connecticut before ultimately moving to California, she is still passionate about preserving the freedoms for the Iranian people.
She was at a headline-making protest in Los Angeles on Sunday where thousands of people were protesting in support of the Iranian people, before a U-Haul truck slammed into demonstrators which, reports say, prompted clashes between the protestors, the driver and police.
“People were from all different backgrounds. It was probably one of the biggest, or the biggest, rallies or protests in support of Iran in the history of Los Angeles. To have that all just eclipsed by the actions of one lunatic is disheartening.”
What led to the protests in Iran?
Reports say economic turmoil, as well as the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was killed by religious police while advocating for women’s rights in 2022, sparked the new uprising.
Most recently, Iranian authorities shut down communications systems, keeping citizens cut off from the rest of the world. Several New Yorkers told amNewYork it is difficult to reach family and friends in the Middle Eastern country due to the outage.
“My best friend is from Iran and now isn’t hearing from her family,” said Devora Khayyat of Manhattan said. “We hope and pray for a free Iran.”
New York politicians respond
Some New York politicians have been voicing their thoughts on the protests since the start of the new year.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, representing Brooklyn, said he stands with “the courageous protestors under attack” by their government.
“Millions of people across Iran are displaying tremendous bravery in the face of decades of oppression and dictatorial rule,” the Congress member said. “The world is watching in awe as they lead an honorable fight for freedom, dignity and self-determination.”
Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, representing Manhattan, drew a parallel between the gravity of the Iran protests and the ongoing ICE protests across the United States after the shooting of Renee Good in Minnesota on Jan. 7.
“The right to protest, whether it be in Iran, on the streets of New York City or in Renee Nicole Good’s home state of Minnesota, is sacrosanct under international law and our respective constitutions,” Rosenthal said.
She also spoke about the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have been rallying against the shocking killing, which she described as “a murder at the hands of the Trump administration.”
“Clearly, our collective fight for human rights and freedom of expression is universal, and any efforts to curtail or further decimate those beliefs must be met with universal resistance,” the Assembly member said.
Iran, officially called the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a theocratic state.
Given Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s opposition to religious governments, amNewYork reached out to his office for comments on the Iranian protests and is awaiting a response.
Meanwhile, it is difficult to determine what will happen in response to the protests in Iran, but the next few days could prove critical if the United States intervenes.
