Previously popular ‘woman, life, freedom’ slogan ignored as son of former shah becomes focus of desperation for change
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s the nightly protests that recently gripped Iran got under way, familiar shouts of “death to the dictator” and “death to [Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei”, Iran’s most powerful cleric and political figure, filled the air in Karaj, a city 30 miles to the west of Tehran.
But when female participants tried to add another recent popular rallying cry, “woman, life, freedom”, the slogan found few takers – despite having proved an inspirational call to solidarity in demonstrations that swept the country in 2022 after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for allegedly flouting Islamic dress codes.
“That was the moment I realised: ‘OK, this is slightly different than what happened in 2022,” said Parisa, an Iranian film-maker based in France who was visiting relatives when the recent demonstrations began.
