THOUSANDS of protesters joined Iran’s headscarf revolution yesterday in a crisis that threatens to topple the brutal ruling regime.
Women of all ages appeared at public demonstrations without their compulsory head coverings in defiance of the nation’s feared morality police.
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Many took to social media to share videos of themselves tearing off the scarfs in a direct challenge to the country’s fanatical ruling mullahs.
The demos happened after militiamen opened fire on 35,000 protesters thronging Saqqez, the home city of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
She died in hospital on September 16 after being detained and beaten for wearing her hijab “improperly”.
The outrage triggered demos in which at least 234 protesters, including 29 children, have since been killed across the country.
At least five more were shot dead yesterday when security forces opened fire in eastern city Zahedan, according to unconfirmed reports.
The bodies were seen being carried away through crowds in videos shared on social media, blood smearing the pavement and walls.
Reports emerged hours after that three others were shot in clashes in the western city of Mahabad.
A crowd at Khorramabad were also reportedly shot at for chanting “Down with the dictator”, an unprecedented public attack on Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.
Khamenei blamed “terrorist-separatist groups” for stoking violence across Iran where, until Islamists seized power in 1979, many women dressed in western-style clothing.
