Reactions to the News of Raisi's Death; From 'Helicopter Celebration' to Dancing and Distributing Sweets in the Streets

Group dancing in front of the Islamic Republic embassies in various cities around the world, distributing sweets and chocolates, fireworks, and the widespread sharing of joyful images on social media with the hashtag 'Helicopter Celebration' are among the reactions to the killing of Ebrahim Raisi following a helicopter crash. The widespread joy of the Iranian people comes as the Islamic Republic has declared five days of 'public mourning' and one day of holiday following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and several other officials. According to images sent to VOA and shared on social media on Monday, May 31, groups of citizens in various regions of Iran have published videos of distributing sweets and celebrating after the death of Ebrahim Raisi due to the plane crash. Additionally, transmitted images show that some Iranians abroad have gathered in front of the Islamic Republic embassies in several world capitals to dance and celebrate. In London, the capital of the UK, a number of Iranians gathered in front of the Islamic Republic embassy and engaged in dancing and celebration. In Hamburg, Germany, a group of Iranians reacted to Raisi's death by raising the Iranian flag with the lion and sun emblem and playing music. Khashayar Mostafavi, a filmmaker, announced the reason for holding this gathering in front of the Islamic Republic consulate as the 'Helicopter Celebration.' The hashtag 'Helicopter Celebration' has been widely used by many users in recent hours, especially on the social media platform X. Political analyst Hossein Aghaei referred to Ebrahim Raisi's death using the hashtag 'Helicopter Celebration' as a 'holiday for Iran' and expressed hope for 'more failures and setbacks for the Islamic Republic and its ultimate downfall.' Previously, many opponents of the Islamic Republic had used the term 'cutlet' or 'Qassem cutlet' to refer to the killing of Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards, and now they are using the combined term 'Helicopter cutlet' to refer to the death of Ebrahim Raisi following the helicopter crash. A citizen report shows an image of a woman in one of the streets of Iran asking another woman why she is distributing sweets, and when she hears the answer 'you know why, and I know why,' both laugh happily. Some citizens have also shared images of celebrations and joy in their homes with congratulatory messages for the death of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In one of these videos, the narrator says, 'To the health of that helicopter, or the soldiers of Prophet Moses, or that wolf and bear in the forest, or anything that caused this cursed (Ebrahim Raisi) to fall, we will drink whiskey with kebab.' Another citizen report shows an Iranian student in Italy distributing sweets to his classmates after hearing the news of Ebrahim Raisi's death. Additionally, some families of victims reacted to the helicopter crash and Ebrahim Raisi's death by sharing videos of dancing and joy; some of them stated that Islamic Republic officials had threatened some of the victims' families, saying, 'We will arrest you for your reactions.' Mahsa Pirayi, a member of the families of victims from 1401, told The Guardian about the victims' families' reactions to Raisi's death, saying, 'We are happy because they were the murderers. Raisi ordered the killing of my mother, and his minister denied our martyrs. I know that being happy about someone's death is not right, but they were not human.' Saba Bakhtiari, the aunt of Poya Bakhtiari, a young protester killed during the nationwide protests of November 98 in Mehrshahr, shared an image of Ebrahim Raisi and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, writing, 'The murderers will pay for their crimes, and justice will be served, whether in a fair people's court or in the mountains of Varzaghan and Jolfa.' Mehrzad Zarei, the father of Arad, a teenager killed by the Revolutionary Guards' missiles on the Ukrainian passenger plane, reshared a video of the transfer of Ebrahim Raisi's and his companions' bodies and wrote on X, 'The butcher of the death regime of the Islamic Republic has reached his end; this is a refreshing drop of water on our chests full of rage. Long live.' The 'Families of the Victims of Flight PS752' association also issued a statement emphasizing that 'we demanded the trial and punishment of Ebrahim Raisi in a fair court so that he would confess to his crimes and taste punishment,' stressing that although 'this opportunity was taken from us, we must say that we are not sorry for his death. We will neither forget nor forgive the murderers of the children of Iran.' In another reaction, Marzieh, the sister of the victim Abolfazl Adinehzadeh, shared a video of this young protester dancing in Mashhad, killed by the Islamic Republic's agents during the nationwide protests, with a victory sign. Furthermore, Mahsa and Roya Pirayi, the daughters of Minou Majidi, who was killed during the nationwide protests of 1401 by the Islamic Republic's agents, shared a video of their joy with the song 'Helicopter Helicopter' after the announcement of the disappearance of the helicopter carrying Ebrahim Raisi. Also, Elnaz Abdali, the mother of the victim Arshia Imamgholizadeh, after the announcement of the helicopter crash carrying Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and several other officials of the Islamic Republic, and before the bodies were found, shared an image of her teenage protester's grave, writing in an Instagram story, 'O God, do not let us lose hope.' Narges, the sister of Reza Shahparnia, another protester killed during the 1401 protests, also referred to Ebrahim Raisi's fortune-telling with Hafez's divan in the past months in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, writing, 'Be happy that the oppressor does not find the way home!' Mehdi Shahbazi, the brother of the victim Ameneh Shahbazi, who was killed during the 98 protests, also shared a video of himself distributing sweets with 'congratulations and happy wishes' for Ebrahim Raisi's death to 'all the noble people of Iran, especially the families of victims,' writing on X, 'After five years, I am happy from the bottom of my heart. I am so happy that all my friends thought it was my birthday. But I told them this sweet event could be the rebirth of my homeland.' Ars Hajizadeh, the victim's family member of his father and brother Hamid and Karun Hajizadeh, who were killed during the serial murders in the 70s, also wrote the complete couplet of the mentioned ghazal from Hafez Shirazi, emphasizing, 'The celestial cycle is entirely on the path of justice; be happy that the oppressor does not find the way home.' Mohammad Reza, the brother of the victim Mohammad Hassan Torkman, also published a design of a helicopter shot down by women's hair. Following the reactions of some victims' families to Ebrahim Raisi's death, Fatemeh Heydari, the sister of the victim Javad Heydari, who was killed in Qazvin, announced by sharing a chat text with one of the victims' families on social media X that 'they started threatening families that they will arrest them for their reactions.' Mansoureh Behkish, from the victims' families of the 60s, reacted to Ebrahim Raisi, who at that time was a member of the 'Death Committee' and one of the issuers of execution sentences for political prisoners, by sharing a video of herself dancing. According to some messages sent to VOA, in addition to the victims' families, a large number of Iranians expressed joy following Ebrahim Raisi's death.