7,000 Officers to Enforce Mandatory Hijab at Northern Beaches

The deputy commander of the Islamic Republic's police announced the deployment of 7,000 police forces to the northern beaches of the country, stating that they will be responsible for 'controlling the beaches and recreational areas and establishing order' in these regions. Qassem Rezaei mentioned that these 7,000 personnel will be stationed 'directly' at the northern beaches. He also warned that 'with the onset of the warm season, any violation of norms at the beaches will be dealt with seriously according to the law.' Officials of the Islamic Republic refer to citizens' non-compliance with the imposed dress code as 'norm-breaking.' This police commander also stated that the pressure from this number of police on citizens will include both women and men, adding: 'Anyone who does not adhere to legal norms such as hijab is committing a visible crime, and it is the police's duty to manage this issue.' Hassan Mofakhami, the police chief of Mazandaran, also spoke on Thursday about controlling travelers to this province, mentioning the 'Noor plan' and 'establishing complete security coverage' and 'intelligence oversight' of his forces over areas he termed 'vulnerable.' The 'Noor plan' is a new name recently adopted by the police instead of the Guidance Patrol, aimed at confronting women and girls who do not believe in mandatory hijab. Previously, Ahmad-Reza Radan, the commander of the police force, had announced the implementation of an electronic monitoring plan for the northern beaches and actions against opponents of mandatory hijab. Every year, with the arrival of summer and rising temperatures in Iran, the enforcement of hijab and women's dress codes by police intensifies. Following protests after the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini in the custody of the Guidance Patrol and the unprecedented presence of women without hijab in the streets, the police have increased their actions against women and men supporting free dress, frequently releasing reports and images of escalating violence against detainees. The police reported the arrest of 30 individuals in Mazandaran. The police chief of Abbasabad announced the identification and arrest of 30 people, accusing them of 'Satanism.' According to the Mazandaran police information center, Davood Safarizadeh stated that these individuals were arrested in a tourist area of this county in western Mazandaran. The detainees include 18 men and 12 women, whom this police commander described as having 'specific signs and symbols of Satanism.' Security and police officials of the Islamic Republic often refer to fans of metal music as 'Satanists.' This genre of music, which is a subcategory of rock music, critiques many social relations and political processes using symbols and protest songs. According to Davood Safarizadeh, these individuals had traveled to Abbasabad in the form of a tour from other provinces. Safarizadeh also mentioned that 'quantities of alcoholic beverages and drugs were also discovered' among the detainees.