They take off their headscarves and cut their hair - this is how Iranian women protest against the government

Created: 09/21/2022, 13:50

By: Kathrin Reikowski

In protest, women in Iran refuse to wear the headscarf - the state reacts with harshness.

© IMAGO/Social Media

Violent protests against the government in Iran: After the death of a young woman in police custody, thousands took to the streets - with their own form of protest.

Tehran - After a young woman was arrested by the moral police in Iran and then died in police custody, thousands of people took to the streets, especially in the Iranian capital Tehran.

They disobey the regime - for example by women taking off their headscarves in public.

But the protest also shows violent features.

The protests spread to 15 cities on Wednesday night.

Police used tear gas to disperse crowds of up to a thousand people, Iran's state news agency Irna reported.

The demonstrators blocked traffic, threw stones at security forces, set police vehicles and garbage cans on fire and chanted anti-government slogans.

Protests in Iran: The death of Mahsa Amini is the trigger

The trigger for the protests in Iran is the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody.

Thousands of people took to the streets in numerous cities on Tuesday.

The young woman was arrested by the vice squad a week ago because of her "un-Islamic outfit".

What exactly happened after that is unclear, but Amini fell into a coma and died in a hospital on Friday.

Critics accuse the morality police of using violence.

The police firmly deny the allegations.

The government ordered an investigation.

Pictures of the late Mahsa Amini are shown in front of the Iranian embassy in Berlin.

© Paul Zinken/dpa

After several well-known women, including actresses, cut their hair and shared videos of it on social media, this form of protest also took to the streets, as reported by

.

Videos can be seen on Twitter of women taking off their headscarves and having their hair cut, cheered on by others.

Not just Tehran anymore: rallies spread to other major cities

According to the Irna news agency, the rallies took place in the capital Tehran and numerous other major cities.

It was already the fifth night of protests.

Many demonstrators took off their headscarves as a sign of protest.

The governor of the province of Kurdistan had spoken of three fatalities after protests on Tuesday.

Across the country, several politicians had spoken out in favor of a reform course in Iran.

(dpa/kat)