Hezbollah Forces Gather at Leader's Representative Office Against South Khorasan Governor

A group of 'Hezbollah forces' gathered at the office of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's representative in South Khorasan Province, chanting harsh slogans against the governor of the province and calling for his dismissal. According to the official website of the IRGC in South Khorasan, this gathering took place on Saturday, February 19, and protesters shouted slogans including 'Governor, Governor, resign, resign', 'Governor, Governor, shame, shame', 'Incompetent official, resign, resign', and 'Hypocrite, hypocrite, this is the last warning'. The IRGC's website reported that this gathering was in protest of the 'norm-breaking' statements made by the governor of South Khorasan. Based on a report from February 17 by the local website 'Khorasan', Ali Akbar Parvizi, the governor of South Khorasan, made remarks in a gathering of artists that angered conservatives and Hezbollah forces in the province. 'Khorasan' reported that Mr. Parvizi stated among artists that 'we should cry for the state of art in the province, as the atmosphere is not good' and 'some gentlemen oppose everything in the name of religion'. The website also quoted the governor as saying that these gentlemen 'use topics that have no relation to religion'. He also added that 'a tyrannical mindset has infiltrated a part of society, and a handful of individuals are the main obstacles to much of the development'. 'Khorasan' also reported that the governor criticized the performance of the police's venues department, saying, 'Who are these venues and what are they doing, and what kind of thinking is it that has turned the city into a military base?' According to this website, Mr. Parvizi stated that 'the police are responsible for maintaining order and regulating traffic; they should not interfere in anything else'. The governor also mentioned that in some weddings in South Khorasan, 'men dance; women dance, and there are venues that do not harm Islam and Muslims too much'. The website reported that the governor also said, 'If traditional and local music had been supported, we would not have underground music now'. After the publication of these remarks and the beginning of protests, the South Khorasan governor's website denied and refuted quotes attributed to the governor in some virtual spaces regarding 'mixed dancing between men and women'. Ali Akbar Parvizi also told the local website 'Birna' that 'what was mentioned in the meeting with artists regarding local dance was related to ceremonies and local dance traditions in North Khorasan'. Parvizi added that 'as I said in the meeting, Islam is a religion of beauty and art, not of fanatic and Taliban-like views'. However, the governor's announcement and explanations did not prevent the continuation of protests and criticisms, and some Friday prayer leaders in the cities of this province continued their criticisms and attacks against him in their sermons. Mohammad Baqer Abadi, the representative of Birjand in the parliament, also stated today that he considers the governor's remarks to be 'a great mourning'. Abadi attacked Hassan Rouhani and the eleventh government, saying: 'The president, the cabinet, and the governor must apologize to the people and the police', and the resignation of the Minister of Interior is a trivial action in this regard. Alireza Abadi, the representative of the Supreme Leader in South Khorasan, also said today among the protesters that 'those who do not care about the dancing of men and women do not care about the people's sorrow and do not grieve for the people, but that small group may be happy with the dancing of men and women'. Mr. Abadi criticized Hassan Rouhani and the governor of South Khorasan, adding that 'the president and the executive body should serve the people, not act as kings and monarchs of the country'. Ali Qasemi, the commander of the IRGC in South Khorasan, also said on the sidelines of this protest gathering that 'the culture the governor speaks of is incompatible with South Khorasan'. Qasemi added: 'The actions that the governor's office is pursuing have no goal other than elections'. In this protest gathering, which images were also published on local websites, protesters carried placards with messages such as 'Fatemih's violator must be expelled' and 'we all must watch out for Parvizi'.