Tehran: As protests over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini continue in Iran, several videos of Iranians knocking clerics’ turbans off their heads have recently gone viral on social media.
Throwing clerics’ turbans as they walk the streets is now part of the current wave of anti-government protests across Iran.
In one viral clip, a young girl can be seen running after a cleric walking down an almost empty street and pulling off his turban. While the girl did not stop to look back and continued running, the cleric was seen bending over to pick up his turban.
Iranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad wrote on Twitter, “If you really want to know why knocking off turbans of clerics’ has become a sport in Iran, just watch this video, then you will understand their anger the teenagers. For years clerics have been harassing women in the streets for hijab.”
“These days I’ve been receiving many videos from inside Iran where schoolgirls & boys knock turbans off clerics as part of anti-regime protests. Removing the turbans of clerics has turned into an act of protest after the regime killed hundreds of innocent protesters,” wrote one netizen.
In another clip, a cleric is seen picking up his turban from the middle of the road. “The removal of clerics’ turbans has become a daily routine for Iranian teenagers,” the post read.
In another video footage, a young passerby knocks on the turban of a cleric at a bus stop.
Iran protests continue:
Protests in Iran on Friday entered their eighth week, despite the security crackdown and the killing of many since September 16, 2022, following the death of Mahsa Amini, after she was arrested for three days by the morality police.
Protests continue in several Iranian cities, especially in Iran’s Baluchistan region, which witnesses daily demonstrations.
Meanwhile, the security forces violently confronted the protesters, killing hundreds of them. The Human Rights Activists News Agency “Hrana” announced that 314 protesters were killed in the unrest, including 47 minors.
At least 14,170 people, including 392 students, were arrested in those protests that took place in 136 cities and towns and 134 universities.
