Iranian Diaspora Stage Boycott Protest on Election Day

Activists in the Iranian diaspora mobilized internationally to protest and boycott the presidential election, resulting in confrontations and arrests at some polling stations.

In London, outside the Iranian consulate where voting for Iran's presidential election was underway on Friday, activists confronted voters, questioning their decision to participate after the bloody 2022 nationwide protests in Iran. "How can you vote after all these people were killed? You legitimize the regime by doing so," one protester was heard saying in a video shared on social media.

Metropolitan Police arrested two voting individuals outside the consulate amidst the tension. Demonstrators displayed images of victims from nationwide protests in Iran, notably from the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement, which was sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody. The subsequent crackdown, resulting in the deaths of at least 550 protesters, has been labeled a crime against humanity by a UN fact-finding mission.

As reported by Mohsen Moheimany, an Iran International journalist who was present at the event, the arrested voters engaged in aggressive behavior and verbally attacked the protesters.

Several videos circulating on social media have documented the clashes, including one where a voter in London is seen threatening the protesters.

Also, there were reports that some protesters and voters verbally confronted one another in Paris.

The protesters equated election ink to the "blood of the youth," using the analogy as their central slogan. Election ink is typically applied to voters' forefingers to prevent electoral fraud.

Protests erupted in numerous global cities, including Bern, Amsterdam, Melbourne, Oslo, The Hague, Vienna, Stockholm, Manchester, Auckland, Sydney, Washington, and Hamburg, as demonstrators gathered outside Iranian embassies and polling stations to denounce participation in the presidential election.

Among the demonstrators in London was Azemat Ajdari, whose sister was a victim of flight PS752. This flight, which departed from Tehran amid military activity, was downed by the IRGC in 2020, killing all 176 passengers aboard.

Ajdari, positioned on the opposite side of the street facing the Iranian consulate, expressed to Iran International, "The street we are standing on symbolizes the sea of blood that separates us from the supporters of the Islamic Republic."

"We are here today because the people of Iran are subjected to the tyranny of a regime that has erected a barrier around them, stifling their voices and preventing them from being heard by the world. Our presence aims to amplify the people's voices and demonstrate that this government does not represent us," Ajdari elaborated.

Fariba Balouch, a human rights activist and another protester, shared with Iran International, "This protest stands against the Islamic Republic's facade of democracy. By being here, we stand in solidarity with the families of the victims, those whose children were killed by this regime, and all victims, including those from Zahedan's Bloody Friday."

On September 30, 2022, security forces opened fire on peaceful protesters in Zahedan, the provincial capital of Sistan-Baluchestan, marking a day known as Bloody Friday. This incident resulted in the deaths of at least 105 civilians, including 17 children.

During protests in Hamburg, Fardin Mafghodi, who was shot in the back and hands during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement and is now confined to a wheelchair, told Iran International, “Anyone who votes effectively buys bullets for the Islamic Republic to target people like me.”

Mojtaba Elhani, a political activist at the Berlin protest, stated to Iran International, “The blood of our youth obstructs the path to the polls. We have only one vote, and that is to overthrow the establishment.”

Faramarz Bahar, a political activist and organizer of the gathering in Paris, also told Iran International, “We want to show the regime that we do not care about the political factions within the system, whether reformist or fundamentalist. Our message to the Islamic Republic is clear: we have not seen justice, and we will not vote again.”