One year has passed since the uprising of protests in September 2022. Before anything else, we must honour the memory of the victims of these protests and express our deep solidarity with the families of these dear ones, as well as with the detainees and the injured of these protests.
These protests, like all the protests of the past three decades, were formed on the basis of the social, economic and political conditions governing the Iranian society, However, with a clear focus on gender discrimination and cantered around the social demands of women, different segments of society took to the streets with the slogan ‘Women, Life, Freedom.’ These protests marked the peak of a 40-year-long struggle between the repressive laws of the Islamic government against women on one side and the ongoing resistance of society against these laws and norms that went beyond the ideological impositions of the government which it laid the groundwork for the continuous suppression of the entire society and social protests.
The 2022 protest uprising, sparked by the killing of Mahsa Amini by security forces due to her non-compliance with compulsory hijab, once again ignited the flames of protest against the socio-economic and political conditions in the streets. These widespread street protests, although suppressed by the oppressive forces of the Islamic government in Iran over several months, created new circumstances that make a return to the conditions before them impossible, neither for society nor for the government.
The street protests in the last September have achieved significant milestones in the realm of social rights and women’s rights. They have broken the non-negotiable taboo of compulsory hijab, for the government and the reactionary forces that support it, and to a large extent, it has de facto imposed the freedom of clothing on the Islamic government.
Although the social protests in September of the last year, like the street protests of the past three decades, have emerged due to the unbearable conditions imposed by the Islamic capitalist government on society, it’s important not to ignore the specific social, political, and economic circumstances, both domestic and global, during this time.
The intensification of hostilities between the rival countries in the region provided a basis for the right-wing forces against the Islamic government inside and outside of Iran, to utilize their resources and investments to strive to gain as much power as possible and confiscate the social protests of on the verge of death and dissenting groups and turn them into their springboards.
The efforts of these dethroned domestic and foreign groups was another aspect of the class repression of these protests against the lack of rights, discrimination and poverty and misery imposed by different factions of capital in Iran. These forces of political regression sought to narrow the scope of the protests to non-serious demands and fan the flames of ethnic divisions, diverting attention from the social and economic conditions that have led to the current state of distress among the protesting masses. These efforts ultimately led to the disintegration of this regressive political bloc, which was, in reality, an assembly of opportunistic political and economic elements of the time.
On the other hand, many regional rivals and Western governments, after the brutal suppression of the protests and recognizing the repressive potential of the Islamic government, attempted to establish friendlier relations with the Islamic government.
However the Islamic government of Iran managed to prevent the expansion of these protests into an organized movement aimed at overthrowing the ruling class through brutal suppression, but the “Women, Life, Freedom” protests will have a significant impact on both the government’s relationship with society and the dynamics between different government factions, leading to significant changes in the power structure.
Despite the significant achievements that the September 2022 uprising had for society and the enthusiastic presence of women and youth in the streets, along with a serious confrontation with the government’s suppressive forces, these protests did not transform into a nationwide, organized movement with long-term social goals for liberating society from the fate of the Islamic government. This was mainly due to the absence of organized social and political institutions for guidance and the lack of widespread slogans and a clear agenda.
The suppression of the last September protests by the people who are on the verge of death after four decades of political, economic, cultural and social disenfranchisement showed once again that the only way to deal with the organized brutality of capitalism in any form of government and ideology requires class and social organization in broad areas.
The presence of organized class movements in various arenas of social struggle over life is a necessary condition for the continuation of protests until reaching their desired demands in life.
In the end , the “Women, Life, Freedom” protests demonstrated that the only way to confront the current inhumane conditions, which are the product of several decades of capitalist dominance in various forms of government in Iran, is by relying on the historical, social, and class-based potential of the Iranian working class. Today, more than ever, it has become evident to everyone that sustainable social, political, and cultural demands cannot be achieved without organized social forces within different institutions and associations.
The recent protests, from the street protests of 2017 to the widespread and radical protests of 2019, and the protests of 2022, have all shown that the fundamental solution to liberating society from inhumane conditions lies in the hands of the class that controls the economic and social production base: the working class. This class becomes a compelling social force for its own liberation and that of society only when it appears as an organized and class-conscious force in the social and political arenas. In other words, fundamental social, economic, political, and cultural changes become possible only when an organized class force steps onto the field to bring about these changes.
May the memory of the victims of the protests in 2022 be honoured
The organizations in solidarity with the labour movement in Iran
Campaign for Supporting Iranian Workers
Council in Support of Workers’ Alternatives in Iran
September 2023
