Revolution - Girl from Iran lights a cigarette

 

Videos on social media show a girl in Iran burning pictures of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and using the flames to light a cigarette.

The highly symbolic act poses a double challenge: both to the political power of the Iranian regime and to the strict social norms imposed on women.

This new phenomenon comes at a time of deep economic crisis, growing social discontent, and renewed protests across Iran, reinforcing the sense of a generalized crisis of confidence in the leadership.

An act of protest with multiple messages

In Iran, burning a photo of the Supreme Leader is considered a serious criminal offense. Khamenei's role is not only political but also religious, making any public act of disrespect towards him a direct challenge to the state itself.

At the same time, smoking by women in public places remains socially reprehensible in Iran and in many cases is restricted by unwritten but strict rules of conduct.

It's inspiring to see the nationwide protests of the past week: young women with their hair blowing in the wind (at least, I guess it's windy, it sounds more poetic that way), people tearing down gates of government buildings, and flags and banners of the Islamic Republic being burned in the streets.

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By combining both of these forbidden acts - burning a photo of Khamenei and lighting a cigarette from the flame - the Iranian girl sends a message of rejection of state power and questioning the roles that have been imposed on them. A state that wants her in a burqa, to be married off by mullahs at the age of 10 because "this is their culture", and unable to go out alone for fear of being raped or stoned.

Analysts point out that such individual, symbolic protests are more difficult to suppress, as they do not rely on mass gatherings that can be easily dispersed. At the same time, their visual message is immediately understandable and spreads quickly beyond Iran's borders, keeping international attention focused on the country.

The shadow of Mahsa Amini

This new form of protest is part of a broader resistance that began after the death of Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old was arrested in September 2022 by the Ethics Police in Tehran, accused of violating the mandatory hijab dress code for women.

According to eyewitnesses, she was beaten during her detention, something Iranian authorities denied. Amini collapsed, was taken to hospital and died three days later.

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Her death sparked mass protests that continued until 2023 and were described as the most serious challenge to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.

Symbolic Resistance and "Smart" Tactics

During these protests, demonstrators adopted flexible forms of action, such as small and quick rallies instead of large marches. Roadblocks with vehicles, garbage cans, or even overturned patrol cars were used to delay the regime's security forces.

Others protested from their windows and rooftops, while symbolic acts - such as burning hijabs, cutting hair, throwing red paint into fountains or hitting clerics' turbans in the street - became symbols of Iranian resistance.

Support extended to academia, with university students and professors boycotting classes or resigning in solidarity. Lighting cigarettes with burning images of Khamenei seems to be a natural extension of this tradition of symbolic disobedience.

Economic suffocation and new waves of protests in Iran

Iran is currently facing high inflation, increases in the prices of basic goods, and a rapid devaluation of its national currency, the rial, which has drastically reduced the purchasing power of its citizens.

The economic pressure led to new protests, which started in Tehran's Grand Bazaar and spread to all 31 provinces of Iran. According to the HRANA news agency, at least 34 protesters and four members of the security forces were killed, while about 2,200 people were arrested.

Iranian authorities acknowledge that the protesters' economic demands are "legitimate," but the response on the streets includes the use of tear gas and violent interventions by repressive forces, especially when the protests escalate.

Pressure on the mullahs' regime

At the same time, Iran's regional power appears weakened. Israeli attacks on groups backed by Tehran, as well as the removal of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad from power, have limited the country's influence in the Middle East.

Khamenei, 86, who has held absolute power for decades, says Iran “will not bow to the enemy.” But former officials acknowledge there are no easy solutions, as the macroeconomic

The Iranian regime funds proxy networks like Hamas and Hezbollah throughout the Middle East, causing terrorism, war, and economic hardship for its citizens. I wasn’t very optimistic about the end of the 46-year regime in Iran, but with what seems to be an ever-changing Middle East, you never know what might happen. The end of the regime could be the beginning of a new Middle East.

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During the day and night, massive clashes were recorded and IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) administrative buildings and vehicles were set on fire in Tehran, Mashhad, Gorgan, Kermanshah and other cities.

In some areas, authorities opened fire on protesters and also initiated massive internet shutdowns and, reportedly, power outages.

Protesters are occupying checkpoints, releasing prisoners, destroying symbols of the regime, including monuments to Soleimani, and raising the historical flag.

Previously passive regions, including Iranian Azerbaijan, are gradually joining the protests.

Iranian women are burning hijabs in defiance. They are demanding freedom, dignity and equality. They refuse to live as slaves under radical Islamic clerics and are courageously resisting oppression to claim their rights and their future.

New video shows aftermath of Iran riots in Tehran. Extensive damage to buses and metro. This is the only video to have been released since the internet shutdown. 11,000 protesters and rioters were recorded, the highest number during this period.