Kayhan's Attack on Amadnews, Manoto, Radio Farda, and BBC

Review of newspapers on Saturday, January 9, 2018: The Kayhan newspaper, published under the supervision of the representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, wrote in a note titled "Partisan Response to People's Economic Complaints is Treason," stating that "economic and livelihood problems have led people in a few cities, including Mashhad, to protest and organize gatherings in this regard. These gatherings were held with relatively sharper slogans and movements compared to the past." The newspaper stated: "Amadnews, Manoto, Radio Farda, BBC, and activists and institutions of the Western-affiliated opposition, who constantly talk about the lack of freedom in Iran, are in a clear and laughable contradiction by exaggerating these protest gatherings as a sign and symbol of the diminishing stability and popularity of the existing political system in Iran, reflecting the atmosphere of protest against livelihood problems in a political manner." Kayhan also recommended "domestic media concerned for the public" to "take the initiative away from the anti-revolutionary adversaries by taking correct and timely action, conveying the loud voice of the people's protests and grievances regarding economic and livelihood problems to the officials, and preventing any political perspective on these grievances to block any marginalization and chaos instigated by anti-revolutionary media." The Iran newspaper, close to the government, noted that "numerous protest gatherings were held on the past Thursday and Friday in some cities," stating: "The starting point of these protests occurred on Thursday in Mashhad, where a group of financial institution victims gathered. On Friday, gatherings were also witnessed in cities such as Qom, Borujerd, Qazvin, Rasht, Ahvaz, Hamadan, Sari, etc., with the largest gathering reported before noon on Friday in Kermanshah, which ended with police intervention." This newspaper wrote: "A few days prior, calls had been made on social media to hold gatherings against inflation in this city. However, provincial officials emphasized that no permits had been issued for such actions. On Thursday, however, a number of Mashhad residents gathered in Shahid Square of the city and chanted slogans against inflation. However, the slogans went beyond that and took a direction against the ruling authority." This government-aligned newspaper emphasized that "the main demands of the protesters were economic issues and specifically protests against inflation," claiming that "some infiltrated the crowd of protesters to give these gatherings a political color, and for this purpose, slogans against the system and government were raised, which faced no support from the protesters." The Iran newspaper mentioned the slogan "Leave Syria, think of us" as one of these slogans from the Thursday protests in Mashhad, noting that Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, called some slogans like "Leave Syria, think of us" incorrect. The Jahan San'at newspaper, on its front page titled "Death to Inflation," wrote: "On Thursday, several protest gatherings were held in Mashhad and other cities in Khorasan province; gatherings that originated from the economic pressure on the people and, of course, financial institutions." This newspaper noted that "initially, it seemed that some opposed the government, but gradually this gathering expanded to a wider circle, to the point where the main focus of the protests slipped from the organizers who had gathered with a plan into the hands of ordinary people. It was then that the people's opposition was no longer limited to the government, and the protests extended to other officials as well, after which calls and posters for protest gatherings circulated among the people in other cities such as Yazd, Kerman, Birjand, Kashmar, and Bushehr for the people to gather to convey their dissatisfaction and demands from the officials." Jahan San'at emphasized that "these protests, according to the governor of these counties, are illegal and may even lead to many arrests by police, similar to Mashhad," stressing that "the people's blood has boiled so much and their old pain has resurfaced that they are no longer seeking a legal way to express their demands because this path has ultimately led them to a dead end." This newspaper also wrote: "Videos sent from the protests and clashes on social media show that the protesters' slogans are not limited to the government and even encompass the ruling authority. The people have shown with their slogans that they oppose Iran's participation in regional wars and consider Iran's assistance to war-torn countries as the cause of inflation." Jahan San'at noted that "the people have repeatedly shown with their slogans that the Iranian government and state have neglected the poor of the country and have given large sums to other countries," writing: "Iran, after providing advisory and military assistance to Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, will remain alongside these countries until the end of their economic reconstruction, while the livelihood situation of the people inside the country worsens day by day. In this situation, the country's officials, instead of looking internally to solve economic crises, have an external and political outlook." The Bahar newspaper discussed how "street protests in Mashhad and other cities began," stating: "Some attribute the formation of these protests to the virtual space and spontaneity, while others consider their preparation to be from the hardliners and radicals opposed to the government; an organization that initially aimed to strike at the government but later spiraled out of control." This newspaper quoted Saeed Sharifati, a member of the National Union Party, stating that "the people's protest gathering in Mashhad and some cities is actually a protest against the disorder and shortcomings in the macro management and governance system of the country over various periods," as "dissatisfaction with the current situation means dissatisfaction with the ruling system is much greater than dissatisfaction with Rouhani's government," and "instead of trying to extinguish and politicize it, we should listen to the people's voice and find a solution for it." The Javan newspaper, close to the Revolutionary Guards, described the protests in various cities as "the people's guild gatherings" and wrote: "Mashhad has made headlines again; this time not by the government or for canceling a speech by a certain member of parliament, but this time the protests have begun from the masses of the people, and their cries are for inflation and economic problems and the hardships of daily life." However, "the matter was not limited to Mashhad; similar gatherings were also held in Birjand, Nishapur, and Kashmar, and like all protests of the Iranian people, this time too, the 'anti-revolutionaries' came out in full force to ride the wave of the people's grievances and dictate their slogans to the people's gathering." This newspaper emphasized that "for this gathering, advertising was done on Telegram and Instagram from the beginning of the week, but security and law enforcement agencies are unaware of the inviting authority." The Javan newspaper also wrote about the street protests in Mashhad: "Every moment, videos of the people's gathering in Mashhad were reflected in anti-revolutionary Telegram channels. New photos and news, and the reflection of slogans that were not the people's voice showed that enemy elements had infiltrated the street gathering and were directing the slogans. The initial economic slogans turned into sharp and sometimes insulting political slogans, which were accompanied by insults to the President, similar to the slogans of the street riots of 2009." The Javan newspaper also raised the question in a note: "Why do protest demands shift towards Syria?" referring to the slogans against the Islamic Republic's intervention in Syria, stating: "Economic problems, the professional efforts of foreign media, and the weakness of media close to the resistance have created a dangerous gap between people's perceptions of the Syrian issue in the context of field, regional, and international realities." This newspaper, close to the Revolutionary Guards, stated that "the results of battles and fields from Aleppo to Kirkuk clearly indicate Iran's successful performance in regional policies, and for this reason, it is heavily attacked psychologically by the enemy so that not only these achievements are not seen, but it is also suggested that internal problems stem from Syria." It is here that it seems that the protest demands, most of which are legitimate, are being diverted by foreign media; therefore, those who seek to assert their rights must be careful not to fall into the psychological game of the West." The Jam-e-Farda newspaper, in its front page titled "Conflict Over the Nature of Recent Protests," wrote: "On Thursday morning, videos and images of protests and demonstrations by people in Mashhad circulated, where some were chanting against the government and the economic situation of the country, demanding a change in their livelihood situation. Subsequent videos and images indicated that the chaos and protests had spread to the cities of Nishapur and Kashmar. The publication of videos accelerated, and by night, many images circulated on social media." This newspaper pointed out the "contradictory assessments of the nature of the protests," stating: "While Jahangiri, the first vice president, spoke as if the Mashhad protests were a preparation by the government's rivals to pressure it, a former principlist member of parliament who had gone to Mashhad spoke of the government faction creating pressure from within to prepare for 'going and closing with America.' It was evident that no one understood the nature of these street protests." Jam-e-Farda emphasized that "the instigator of the people to occasionally use the opportunity for protest is not this or that faction, but the general situation of the country, and factors such as unemployment, poverty, inequality of opportunities, social discrimination, business disorder, financial institution corruption, etc., are the main factors stimulating people to protest, and the audience of these protests is not the President or its opposing faction, but the entire system." This newspaper recommended that "the moderate government and reformist parties should urgently take action. Reformist parties should demand legal gatherings under specific slogans, and the government should urgently prepare the space for legal activities based on freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and holding meetings and issue legal permits." The Arman newspaper described these protests as "a warning signal for all" and simultaneously wrote in a note: "The challenges that the integrity of the system is currently facing are inadvertently or deliberately attributed to the government, and the reason is that a part of a governance always suffers more when it is socially freer and politically weaker." Ahmad Shirzad, in a note for this newspaper, wrote: "Events like the recent incidents in Mashhad show that some tried to shoot an arrow at the government, unaware that the arrow might split into several shrapnel along the way and hit everyone. During these events, we heard every kind of slogan directed at any institution. In the end, it should be noted that the story of this arrow and shrapnel is like releasing a genie from a lamp, which when released, will not only encompass Rouhani's government but everyone." The writer of the Arman newspaper emphasized that "the mistake of the gentlemen is that they do not realize that the system is viewed as a whole by the people of the country, and people do not distinguish between two factions and power and government, and anyone who is in any way present in this system is involved and should know that the general public lacks the ability to calculate and analyze economically and does not specifically prosecute any institution." The Bahar newspaper, in a note titled "Please Listen," discussed the reasons for the occurrence of street protests in various cities of Iran, stating: "People are dissatisfied, people who are tired of the political dichotomies of right and left, principlists and reformists, moderates and radicals, and any other political dichotomy, and due to the increasing pressures of livelihood and the hardships that cause their daily table to shrink, they have become fed up." This newspaper wrote: "Officials speak from their podiums and in colorful and ineffective conferences about their successful statistics, while at the same time, the people are increasingly trapped under the wheels of life's problems, and what has happened recently in cities like Mashhad, Kashmar, Kermanshah, etc., is the result of such a situation." The Shargh newspaper also reported with the headline "Urban Protest" that news of the "protest gathering" is at the forefront of the news these days, and the gathering that took place on Thursday in Mashhad under the title "No to Inflation" continued on Friday in Kamyaran, Qom, Rasht, and some other cities. This newspaper also reported that on Friday, "gatherings occurred in some squares in Tehran, which faced a reaction from the Deputy Security of the Tehran Governorate, and Mohsen Nasj Hamdani announced that 'any gathering in the squares and streets of the city is illegal, and we are obliged to take decisive action and confront illegal actions.'" The Qanoon newspaper, in its front page titled "People's Implementation of Article 27," wrote: "The inefficiency of government officials in solving the livelihood problems of the nation has caused protests from parts of society." This newspaper noted that "according to Article 27 of the Constitution and the opinion of the Guardian Council, unarmed marches do not require a permit," stating: "The parties law has, contrary to the Constitution and the opinion of the Guardian Council, made it conditional on obtaining a permit." Abbas Abdi, in a note for the Etemad newspaper, emphasized that the protests in various cities of Iran "in any case have important social backgrounds, one of which is hopelessness," mentioning "social fatigue," "unjust discrimination" including discrimination in law enforcement, media policy discrimination, discrimination in allocated budgets, and "humiliation" as the roots of these protests. The writer of this newspaper emphasized that "those who have a larger share of the power cake, economy, and annual budget of the country should make this share fairer for their own benefit, because in this case, at least one can hope that in the future, this cake will still exist to have a share in it. Otherwise, it is unclear whether there will be a cake and share in the future at all."