Tens of thousands of people demonstrated today (Friday) in Iran's third largest city, Isfahan, demanding a fair distribution of the country's water resources in the country.
In an unusual move, authorities allowed the rally to take place and no arrests or violence were recorded, this after thousands of farmers came to the city from across the county demanding the cancellation of a water redistribution plan, in a way that could hurt farmers in the area, suffering from a series of devastating droughts.
The protest began yesterday as farmers marched in the city alongside key figures in local government, but now thousands more have joined the protest and it has taken on a defiant character in the face of the regime.
Protesters chanted "condemnation of the state's waste abroad," an open criticism of Tehran's policy of intervening in neighboring countries, including Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
A video uploaded on social media showed a child speaking during today's rally and the microphone was taken from him after he read "Death to Khamenei."
Another video shows young protesters erasing a sign on Gaza Street in the city and writing "98 Kadoshi Street" on it, referring to the deaths of the student protests in the city that took place in 1998. Following a protest rally against the regime, authorities began reducing data traffic to prevent protesters from using social networks .
