By Wanique Block
The death of a 22-year-old Iranian woman, Mahsa Amin has erupted into a nationwide protest.
Mahsa Amin died in the custody of Iran’s “morality police” for allegedly not wearing her hijab conservatively, which goes against the country’s strict dress code for women.
Since then, tensions have risen between civilians and police.
This protest is a call to action for women’s rights to bodily autonomy, thus calling for women to be able to choose whether or not they wear their hijab.
Teenage girls have also now become the latest Iranians to join anti-government protests in large numbers.
Videos on social media show teenage girls across Iran taking off their hijabs, chanting slogans like “Death to the dictator”, “Woman, life, freedom” as well as setting alight their hijabs and giving the middle finger to photos of the country’s leaders and marching in the streets.
Not only has the Iranian government shut down online communication but retaliation by the police has resulted in dozens of people killed and more than 1,000 people arrested.
A girls' school in Iran brought a member of the IRGC-run Basij paramilitary to speak to students. The girls welcomed the speaker by taking off their headscarves & chanting "get lost, Basiji".
— Kian Sharifi (@KianSharifi) October 5, 2022
Teenage girls have been at the forefront of protests for days.https://t.co/kvskgB8qas
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