IranWest Asia

Iranians mark anniversary of 2009 rallies against foreign-backed unrest

Millions of Iranians from various social strata have flocked to the streets across the country to mark the tenth anniversary of mass rallies held on December 30, 2009 to renew allegiance to the Islamic establishment.

People rallied in various cities, including the capital Tehran, on Monday to celebrate “Dey 9 epic” which restored tranquility to the nation after months of political wrangling and unrest, and ended what the Iranian authorities described as “sedition” ensuing the presidential election in June of the same year.

Chanting slogans to show absolute dedication to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and against the US, Israel and Britain which played a pivotal role in the 2009 unrest in Iran, the demonstrators carried placards that read, “Death to the seditionists,” and “Economic sedition, Enemy’s new weapon.”

Iranian demonstrators take part in a mass rally that commemorates “Dey 9 epic” in the capital, Tehran, on December 30, 2019. (Photo by Fars news agency)

Participants at the commemorative rallies also stressed the necessity for reliance on domestic capacities and implementation of the “economy of resistance” in the face of US sanctions and foreign pressures.

At the end of the rallies, the demonstrators issued a resolution which called on all people to take part in the upcoming parliamentary elections in Iran, urged stronger unity among the Islamic Republic’s three branches of power — namely, executive, legislative and judicial — and asked the Iranian administration to make utmost efforts to resolve the issues of inflation, high prices and unemployment, show more vigilance when signing international agreements and never dread threats posed by enemies.

On December 30, 2009, millions of people took to the streets in Tehran and several other major cities and condemned the foreign-orchestrated unrest, which erupted following the 2009 presidential poll.

Protesters also sought to vent their anger at the incidents that had taken place days earlier in Tehran, where a group of demonstrators offended the sanctities of the Iranian people on the day of Ashura, which marks the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Shia Imam and grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

The unrest was orchestrated by Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Musavi, two of the candidates who had lost the election, claiming that the results had been rigged. Both remain under house arrest on charges of provoking the public and harming the national security.

Back to top button