2024 Elections; Clash Between Opponents and 'Proponents of Voting' Outside Iran

Clashes between a group of opponents of the Islamic Republic and proponents of boycotting the early presidential elections in Iran with individuals who participated in these elections abroad have become a more prominent side issue. This group of boycotters has published images on social media of citizens who participated in the voting on August 30 to elect a replacement for Ebrahim Raisi. This group of opponents of the Islamic Republic is filming and photographing voters outside embassies, consulates, and offices representing the interests of the Islamic Republic. However, the issue does not stop there. They are also questioning these individuals in front of their cameras. Reactions to this action from the voters vary. Some of them, including elderly individuals, seem surprised and intend to leave, while others cover their faces with scarves they brought for entering the polling place. There is even a man seen throwing his coat over his head, but his opponent is kneeling and trying to capture him from a low angle. Some of the videos released contain insults shouted at the participants in this election. Some participants also engage in verbal altercations with the opponents. Government media in Iran have interpreted this issue as a defense of savagery against the republic and anger, which these newspapers call anti-revolutionary. Delbar Tavakoli, a freelance journalist residing in Washington and one of the opponents of the Islamic Republic and a proponent of the election boycott, published a video of one of the participants with the hashtag 'mercenary' on her social media account. In the description of this video, she wrote, 'The young lady who tried to hide herself secretly pulled her scarf over her head, but she got caught by my camera.' This action by Tavakoli has elicited mixed reactions in the comments section of her account. While some have agreed with her by insulting the voter, others have criticized Tavakoli's actions. Tavakoli told Radio Farda that what happens in the Islamic Republic is not elections but appointments. Regarding her action of filming participants in the elections, she stated that these individuals live freely in America and 'many of them may have come to this country as refugees.' She believes these individuals should be identified and points to a voter who, when she points her camera at him, shouts, 'My life is sacrificed for Khamenei,' and she believes that this voter 'is either a spy for that government or works for that government.' Delbar Tavakoli considers her behavior of filming and tracking individuals participating in the Iranian elections to be devoid of any violence and says that violence should be avoided and anger should be transformed into the power of struggle, although she believes that the faces of the participants in the elections should be exposed. At protest gatherings outside the legal offices of the Islamic Republic of Iran, opponents from various political spectrums, including monarchists, leftist communist groups, and supporters of the People's Mojahedin Organization, were also present, and images released show clashes among themselves. The extent of these clashes led to the arrest of one person in Britain and police intervention in France and the United States to prevent the escalation of violence.