Iran: Nationwide Teachers’ Protests Result in Arrests

Iranian teachers in more than 50 cities across the nation have staged several protests in demand of higher pay that can help them alleviate the economic strains they have been living in since 2017.

According to Iran International, thousands of Iranian teachers have assembled in several cities across the country in demand of major reforms that include higher pay for them, ones that can help them through the 5th consecutive year of financial challenges.

Online platforms have been flooding with videos and photos showing teachers' gathering in streets in about 50 cities, with signs and slogans that called on their government to consider higher pay that matches the soaring inflation they have been suffering from since 2017.

Protests at Alborz province to the north of Iran have been reported as the biggest so far, prompting many on social media to use the hashtag #البرز in support of Alborz's teachers. Teachers in Iran have been organizing these protests for the sixth time in three months.

Translation: "Teachers protest in Alborz province on Saturday. Security forces have attacked teachers, beating and arresting at least 15 teachers."

The opposition-led the National Council of Resistance of Iran has estimated the number of cities where teachers' protests took place by 100 cities all over Iran. Online sources have also reported several attacks by police forces that tried to disperse protesters before arresting at least 15 teachers in Alborz province.

The deteriorating economic situation in Iran started several years before the COVID-19 pandemic, which only made things more difficult for about 84 million Iranians.

Due to US sanctions that were imposed after the former US administration led by Donald Trump had revoked the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed by his predecessor Barack Obama in 2015, the Iranian economy has been facing a series of challenges that got even worse since the beginning of 2020, year of the novel coronavirus.

For the past several weeks, Iranian officials have been negotiating a new agreement with western countries in Vienna, ones that once reached can eventually help improve the financial situation in Iran.