RNA – Iran has marked the 38th anniversary of the massacre of protesters in Tehran by the country’s former US-backed regime.
People in the capital gathered in the Martyrs’ Square, formerly known as Jaleh square, on Wednesday to commemorate those who lost their lives during a landmark protest.
On September 8, 1978, Iranians defied a curfew to take to the streets, demanding an end to the rule of Mohammad Reza Shah.
Troops surrounded the protesters and opened machine-gun fire on them, leaving hundreds of them dead.
The event, falling on Shahrivar 17 on the Persian calendar, has come to be known as the “Black Friday” and a symbol of resistance against repression.
It touched off a series of protests which led to the overthrow of the Pahlavi regime a few months later.
The unrest following the massacre forced the Shah to leave Iran in January 1979, ushering in the Islamic Revolution of Iran led by Imam Khomeini a month later.
“All these people are here … to once again pledge allegiance to those who lost their lives for the victory of the Islamic Revolution,” a participant at the Wednesday ceremony said.
“The victories achieved after Shahrivar 17th were all the results of the martyrs’ sacrifices,” he said.
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