Nationwide strikes in support of Kurdish people in Iran

The protests which have spread across the country have intensified as Iranian security forces became more violent in attempts to suppress them, particularly in the Kurdish regions of the country.

University students held sit-ins and strikes after seven universities in Tehran issued a call to hold rallies in support of the people in the Kurdish regions.

On Saturday, shopkeepers in many cities closed their workplaces in protest against the forces of the regime killing people and arresting students during the uprising in Kurdish-populated cities.

Factory workers also supported the rebellion. Workers at steel and car factories downed tools on Saturday, while the Truck Drivers Union called for a nationwide strike.

Analysts think that the strikes accompanying the protests, which are becoming more widespread with each passing day, are the harbingers of a major change in Iran.

Large-scale strikes were held in many cities during the week of 21-27 November, which marks the tenth week of anti-government demonstrations in Iran.

A group of employees of the South Aluminum Company in Lamerd city, Fars province, downed tools on Wednesday, Iran International reports.

A group of workers at Bahman Diesel Company in Qazvin near capital Tehran also went on strike.

Firefighters gathered outside the Office of the Governorate office in the eastern city of Mashhad on Wednesday demanding their rights including pay increases and housing benefits.

Iranian Kurdistan’s Political Parties Cooperation Centre have called a general strike for 24 November, to show support for the Kurdish people.

Iranian Security Forces have been increasing their level of violence, especially in Kurdish cities, to suppress the uprising sparked by the slogan “Jîn, Jîyan, Azadi”*, which has continued for two months to date.

Meanwhile the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have been launching missile and drone attacks against Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in the Kurdistan Region.

The UN’s Human Rights Commissioner said on 22 November that the situation in Iran was critical as security forces had hardened their response to anti-regime protests. At that point over 300 people had been killed in 25 of Iran’s provinces, including more than 40 children, since the uprisings began in September.

*The slogan of “Woman, Life, Freedom!” – “Jîn, Jîyan, Azadi!” in Kurdish and “Zen, Zendegi, Azadi!” in Persian – which has become a rallying cry for women all around the world, was developed within the Kurdish feminist movement.