This Time it’s Different

As we enter the 5th month of dissent, nationwide protests continue strong in Iran despite nearly hundreds of people (including children) killed and thousands of protestors detained, threatened, executed and massacred. In certain parts of Iran, people are fighting with empty hands.

The body of the model is covered with some of the trending hashtags related to the recent revolutionary movement happening in Iran and are mostly the names of women, men and children who got killed by the brutal regime.

Out of Iran’s roughly 87 million population, 60% are young Gen Y and Z’s on the streets fighting. They are the same people who saw the protests and killings of 2009 (as children) and the protests and killings in 2019 (in their teens). They’ve been born into a world of information and have communication technology at their fingertips. Today they are sending over a million tweets an hour in support of their sister #MahsaAmini. That is a vast number of educated, well-informed people who feel they have nothing to lose.

This time, though, there is much international attention, and the world is rising to show solidarity with the movement.

Shervin’s song “Baraye” or “Because of” is the movement’s anthem. He created the song from a series of other people’s tweets that describe their personal reasons why they don’t want the current regime in power anymore. Specifically, the violation of fundamental human rights over the past 44 years. The song was nominated for the Grammy Awards under a new special merit category which honours songs dedicated to social change. Musicians worldwide sing “Baraye” on every stage, including Coldplay in Buenos Aires in 2022. Iranians around the world are participating in protests week after week to show solidarity. Iranian actresses show their solidarity by unveiling their hijab. Iranian athletes stay silent when they are supposed to sing the national anthem, including during the World Cup.

Tying Hair

Recreated from a real photo of a girl getting ready to join the protests that has become viral on social media. Many people have practised this action to show their support of the protests.

Celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Roger Waters, Tony Robins, Ellen DeGeneres and more showed their support and solidarity with Iran. Women leaders globally, including Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Laura Bush and more, signed a letter calling for the United Nations to remove the Islamic Republic of Iran from the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Politicians internationally, one by one, began making official statements in support of the uprising. Major news channels like CNN started investigating and releasing brutal confessions and stories about the regime’s crimes. The United Nations had finally heard all of the voices. They held a special session on Iran for the first time in its history, with the majority of its board voting to condemn them for human rights violations in Iran and establishing a fact-finding mission to investigate the regime’s crimes for the first time.

The protests continue for the roughly 8 million Iranians living abroad, including those in Canada. This is more than a movement. It’s a revolution — rooted in liberation, freedom and the courageous hearts of women.

I believe I sense the gratifying scent of victory.

Long live women, long live freedom, and long live Iran.