It is the first time that the Iranian population has acted so openly against the Islamic regime in Iran, says Karimi, who is Iranian herself. “People fearlessly took to the streets – universities, schools, streets, and really wished for the death of the Islamic Republic.”
Karimi specifically mentions the women and girls who took to the streets without the obligatory veil. “They burned their scarves and are now experiencing a quality revolution unlike anything we’ve seen so far.”
Regime
But Karimi calls it unexpected that Iranian leaders are still in the saddle. “Who would have thought they would resign after three months of protests is very naive,” he says. It is one of the most cruel and oppressive regimes in the world. They have political power, military power, and a huge apparatus of oppression. They don’t hesitate to execute young people, so it takes much longer.’
And this while the riots were first dismissed as a burp by political scientist and writer Dick Leurdijk. However, he agrees with the words of Senator GroenLinks. “Based on these demonstrations, the regime could not have been expected to disappear,” he says. “But I myself see these riots as a warm-up – a necessary condition, in fact – to move forward towards the elimination of the Islamic regime in Iran.”
Illusion
But, he stresses, this will have to come mainly from the Iranians themselves. “The illusion that the Iranians can make the regime disappear with the help of the outside world is something we need to get rid of soon,” says Leurdijk. “The absolute condition is that the uprising comes from Iranian society itself, so we have to take into account the continuation of these unrest. Because even if the riots end today, the underlying riots will continue. And that’s why I say much more is needed before the regime leaves.”