Public Reactions to Recent Protests

And that is, at least I consider myself bold enough

to tell you this. We really aren't in a position to tell people

two hundred and twenty

nights out on the streets, to decide for them.

To tell them, for example, to protest this or not, to be this way,

not that way.

It goes back to my own experience. I—

What about the organizers?

As I was saying, you yourselves acknowledged that those gatherings that are being organized

are actually far fewer. Gatherings in villages, small towns, and

outlying gatherings in Tehran's districts have no real organization

whatsoever. Their organization comes from, say, four people at a

mosque and a religious gathering, two shopkeepers, and the like. Because I go and

see it.

That's right.

The other person has some opinions too.

That morning

when they announced Agha's martyrdom, it was Ramadan, you remember

that, right?

Yes.

I was out on Enghelab Street, we were just sitting around.

It was time for the mourning recitation, and we didn't know what to do. I'm telling you the truth.

Near Valiasr Intersection, on the north side, we were with

sitting with our friends, and no one was saying anything.

We couldn't do anything— then the sun gradually rose, and suddenly I

saw that this street was full of people, and

it was a very strange sight. I don't think that as long as I'm

alive, I'll ever be able to forget it. So many people

were crying. Intensely. The sound of wailing

was loud, and people were coming and going. Look, there wasn't even a direction

to it. I say they were going because I was at Valiasr Intersection

myself.

Roughly. To be more precise, near Mozafar Brothers, on the

north side, by the curb.

Then some were heading toward Enghelab Square.

Some went ahead of us toward Valiasr Intersection. That was it.

That's how people came out into the streets. They had no organizers or anything.

What was the Supreme Leader's message? He said that during these several— I think, eight days, society

had no leader. This community had risen up to lead society.

I still think the reins are in their own hands.

Someone who has 220 nights, 200 and how much?

Let’s not forget the gathering and the people, on Quds Day they were bombing us.

Someone was martyred. They, they were marching.

You…

You can’t find this in any anti-colonial movement.

I really don’t have the social science education like you two distinguished gentlemen.

I studied history. You don’t see this anywhere.

You were demonstrating on Quds Day, a day when the whole world

demonstrates and marches, they were dropping bombs.

I was there again. That was the situation.

And now they’ve come, and by God, I think everyone

knows.

The officials know too, in my view. And if anyone has doubts, they should really go

and think. That plan the enemy had, that

plan Trump had, that swaggering he was doing on the first day,

he went and sat in Mar-a-Lago and talked, and from this

it was clear that he was saying, “I’ve struck now, I’ll announce the news, eighteen

or nineteen Plus groups, I’ll bring down on their heads.”

One more thing, something more serious. Later he spoke up and said he had armed the Kurds.

Like, these things hadn’t worked.

He even rebuked and reprimanded them.

That was it. Then suddenly, these people emerged from somewhere,

and we really don’t know how. I truly have no idea.

They came and held on. And you can really see that the Americans,

the Zionists, had no Plan B for this.

They had an answer for— missile cities, for air defense,

they had an answer,

for military forces, they had an answer, they had mapped out the ground operation.

These aren’t kids. These people

have been fighting for a hundred years. They fought the whole world, committed every genocide.

They had no answer to this. But the people came.

Now we’re stuck in these circumstances, with a thousand pressures,

pressure from supporters, economic pressure, and obstacles,

and in some areas, he has differing views, and nothing else.

At the very least, let him voice his opinion.

If this person now holds back his opinion— well, look, for example, Mr.—sir

Mohammad Reza Bozorgvar says, well, like, his representative should go make a speech.

I'm going to tell him—

He should write it himself.

He quickly says, "Sir, Parliament is closed." He should write himself that this

isn't his line of work. He was a grocer, but he's keeping the country

afloat.

He was a fruit seller, he's keeping the— A laborer is keeping the country

afloat.

That's right, but—

I'm saying this very firmly—

Some of those who broke away from you—

I'm saying this very firmly. They held it together. I swear to God, they held it

together.