Teenagers Dance on Anniversary of Khomeini's Death; Khamenei Calls Protesters 'Ignorant, Malicious, and Foot Soldiers' of the Enemy

Simultaneously with the harsh attack by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic on participants in nationwide protests, attributing the protests to 'traitorous elements' abroad and their 'foot soldiers' inside the country, images of teenagers dancing and celebrating in Iran on the anniversary of Ruhollah Khomeini's death have been published. Ali Khamenei, speaking at Khomeini's grave on Sunday, June 4, emphasized that the 'enemy of imperialism' will not be eliminated by 'tactical retreats' and defended the suppression of protests. Khamenei claimed that the nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police are a 'enemy's effort' against the Islamic Republic, supported by 'financial, military, and media backing from Western security agencies.' He insulted the protesting people again, calling them a 'combination of malicious people,' 'ignorant,' and 'riffraff,' who, according to him, are 'foot soldiers' for 'traitorous elements' and 'mercenaries' abroad. He also stated that 'there are reckless and non-committed elements in the layers of society' and 'these are not the people of Iran.' Khamenei's remarks come as a video has emerged showing dozens of girls and boys gathering in the Pasdaran area of northern Tehran, dancing on the eve of the anniversary of the founder of the Islamic Republic's death. The video, attributed to the evening of Saturday, June 3, shows several women and girls not wearing mandatory hijab. This group dance performance with cheerful music in Tehran took place a week after the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Headquarters criminalized 'dancing contrary to public decency and noise pollution by performing or broadcasting unauthorized and vulgar music' in their proposed bill regarding the enforcement of mandatory hijab. Public dancing and joy hold a special place in Iranian culture, but with the rise of the Islamic Republic, dancing and music were banned and went into the corners of homes. The forbidden art of dance has become widespread in recent years as a form of civil disobedience in public places, with images of it repeatedly shared through social media.