Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Protest by Fresno Iranian Americans Keeps Focus on Brutality in Iran
gvw_nancy_price
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 1 year ago on
November 21, 2022

Share

In a continuing show of solidarity with the people of Iran, more than 200 Iranian-Americans from Fresno, Clovis, and Visalia marched Saturday in north Fresno, chanting “women, life, freedom,” “democracy for Iran,” and “down with the Islamist regime.”

It marked the eighth week of protests organized by the Iranian-American Alliance of Fresno in support of the ongoing revolt in Iran against the Islamist government and calls for a secular democracy to replace it.

The protests were sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who was taken into custody in September by the so-called “morality police” for improperly wearing a hijab, a required head covering. Witnesses who were in custody with Amini told her family she was severely beaten by police, which her family says led to her death.

A man holds a sign with an image of a woman wearing the colors of the Iranian flag while protesting Saturday near the River Park Shopping Center. (GV Wire/David Rodriguez)

Her death has led to widespread protests across Iran and around the world. The Iranian government has cracked down internally, killing as many as 600 adults and more than 40 children and arresting an estimated 15,000 people, protest organizer Dr. Mehdi Ghajar said.

One of the most recent victims was a 10-year-old boy named Keeyan, from the southwest of Iran, who dreamed of becoming an inventor, Ghajar said.

Saturday’s protest march in Fresno was in support of the fourth International Day of Solidarity called for by the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims. Flight PS752 was a Ukrainian International Airlines jet shot down by two missiles fired by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps only minutes after takeoff from Tehran’s airport in January 2020. Aboard were 176 passengers and crew, many of them returning to Canada by way of Ukraine.

Protest signs are stacked prior to the start of a demonstration Saturday in north Fresno. (GV Wire/David Rodriguez)

The march also protested the third anniversary of “Bloody November” in 2019, during which an estimated 1,500 Iranians were killed in less than a week during economic protests.

Saturday’s protest in Fresno at the corner of Blackstone and Nees avenues coincided with protests in Australia, Europe, Canada, and the U.S., including at the United Nations in New York City, seeking the overthrow of the Islamist regime and prosecution of the religious leaders responsible for the violence and bloodshed over the decades they have remained in power.

Protesters hold a sign reading “Democracy for Iran” at the demonstration Saturday at River Park in north Fresno. (GV Wire/David Rodriguez)

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

UN Top Court Orders Israel to Open More Land Crossings for Aid into Gaza

DON'T MISS

Rockin’ Out or Laughing, the Valley Has Its Pick of Weekend Events

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Tackles Animal Overpopulation with New Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Program

DON'T MISS

Supermom Carmi Is Ready to Be Embraced by Her Forever Family

DON'T MISS

Ukrainian Navy Says a Third of Russian Warships in the Black Sea Have Been Destroyed or Disabled

DON'T MISS

House Speaker Mike Johnson Headed to Fresno on April 4

DON'T MISS

7 Lebanese and an Israeli Killed in an Exchange of Fire Along the Lebanon-Israel Border

DON'T MISS

Fresno Mayor Dyer Is the Man in Japan

DON'T MISS

Israel and Hamas Dig in as World Pressure Builds for Cease-Fire

DON'T MISS

Trump Media Group CEO Nunes Headlines Fresno GOP Event

No data was found
Nancy Price,
Multimedia Journalist
Nancy Price is a multimedia journalist for GV Wire. A longtime reporter and editor who has worked for newspapers in California, Florida, Alaska, Illinois and Kansas, Nancy joined GV Wire in July 2019. She previously worked as an assistant metro editor for 13 years at The Fresno Bee. Nancy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her hobbies include singing with the Fresno Master Chorale and volunteering with Fresno Filmworks. You can reach Nancy at 559-492-4087 or Send an Email

Facebook News Tab Will Soon Be Unavailable as Meta Scales Back News and Political Content

12 hours ago

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Rises to More Records to Close Out Its Latest Winning Month

12 hours ago

A Fresno County First: Kerman Council Passes Amended Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution

12 hours ago

UN Top Court Orders Israel to Open More Land Crossings for Aid into Gaza

12 hours ago

How Involved Is Southern California Consulting Firm in FUSD Executive Dealings?

13 hours ago

Biden’s Fundraiser with Obama and Clinton Nets a Record $25 Million, His Campaign Says

13 hours ago

Fresno Unified’s Self-Protection Racket Is Hurting Our Kids

14 hours ago

Rockin’ Out or Laughing, the Valley Has Its Pick of Weekend Events

14 hours ago

Ex-Correctional Officer at Women’s Prison in California Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Inmates

17 hours ago

Caitlin Clark and Iowa Draw Nearly 5 Million Viewers for Second-Round NCAA Win

17 hours ago

PGA HOPE at Riverside Golf Course Introduces Military Veterans to the Game

PGA HOPE, now underway at Fresno’s Riverside Golf Course, is designed to introduce golf to veterans and active duty military members t...

10 hours ago

PGA HOPE at Fresno's Riverside Golf Course
10 hours ago

PGA HOPE at Riverside Golf Course Introduces Military Veterans to the Game

12 hours ago

Cronenworth’s Big Hit Helps Lift the Padres to a 6-4 Win Over Melvin’s Giants

12 hours ago

Shohei Ohtani Reaches 3 Times in Home Debut as the Dodgers Rout the Cardinals 7-1

12 hours ago

Facebook News Tab Will Soon Be Unavailable as Meta Scales Back News and Political Content

12 hours ago

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Rises to More Records to Close Out Its Latest Winning Month

12 hours ago

A Fresno County First: Kerman Council Passes Amended Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution

12 hours ago

UN Top Court Orders Israel to Open More Land Crossings for Aid into Gaza

13 hours ago

How Involved Is Southern California Consulting Firm in FUSD Executive Dealings?

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend