The Rise of the Hashtag 'War is Very Scary'; Emphasis on 45 Years of Unequal War with the Government

As the possibility of war between the Islamic Republic and Israel becomes more serious, discussions on this topic have heated up among Iranian users. While some consider the outbreak of war to be devastating, many emphasize the hashtag 'War is Very Scary,' stating that the Islamic Republic has been at war with the people of Iran for over 45 years. Following the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' missile attacks on Israel for the second time, and Israeli officials' statements about a definitive response to the Islamic Republic, the issue of the likelihood of war has been raised. Some social media users reacted to this issue, stating that 'the Islamic Republic attacked a country that has never attacked Iran.' Saba Bakhtiari, the aunt of the activist Pouya Bakhtiari, whose two brothers are also imprisoned for activism, expressed that 'war is very scary,' sharing images of armed government forces storming their home and asking, 'But when they besiege your house and shoot the building, when they gas you in your home, when they kill your loved one and take your family captive, what do you call that?' She emphasized, 'We have fought for years in an unequal war with empty hands against a heavily armed regime.' One active user on the social media platform 'X,' under the pseudonym Ismail, criticized those who scare citizens about war, stating that these individuals hide behind a mask of pacifism with 'reactionary communist, anti-Semitic, and Islamist beliefs,' writing: 'Yes, war is very scary, but if the country is on the brink of war, the only culprit is the Islamic Republic, and only with its downfall will the shadow of war be lifted from the country forever.' Another user, sharing an image of a group of victims of protests and human rights violations by the Islamic Republic, wrote: 'War is very scary when an occupying regime called the Islamic Republic massacres your compatriots.' Soroush Lashkari, a protest rap artist known as 'Hichkas,' sarcastically remarked: 'Yes, war is very scary, especially when they take you, rape you, and kill you under torture without a trace.' Pantea Rasouli, a political activist opposed to the Islamic Republic, recalled the incident of the Cinema Rex fire in Abadan by revolutionary forces in the summer of 1978, which led to the deaths of hundreds of citizens, writing on social media: 'The fire that criminals set to Cinema Rex in Abadan was the first declaration of war against the Iranian nation. War is very scary, and we have been at war with the devil for 45 years.' Her reference was to the Cinema Rex fire on August 19, 1978, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds and increased public outrage. Opponents of the Shah blamed the government for the fire and the deaths of the audience. However, years later, Mohsen Safaei Farahani, a reformist figure in Iran, stated in an interview: 'The crime of Cinema Rex in Abadan was not committed by the Shah's regime; the perpetrators of this crime became members of parliament after the revolution.' He also published a video of the Islamic Republic's agent shooting Neda Agha-Soltan in 2009, sarcastically writing: 'It happened on a peaceful day.' Farhad Mahmoudi, the brother of the activist Fereydoun Mahmoudi, who was killed in the nationwide protests of 2022, recalled the image of his brother's death from direct fire by Islamic Republic agents, stating that 'the scariest part of war is when in your homeland, for being an activist, you are shot by the regime of the same country you live in.' Babak Azadchehr, a political activist, also published an image of Mahsa Amini hours before her death in the custody of the morality police, writing: 'Yes, war is very scary.' One user shared an image of the lifeless body of Kian Pirfalak, a 9-year-old child who was killed by direct fire from Islamic Republic forces towards citizens on November 25, 2022, writing: 'Yes, war is very scary, especially when, fearing the occupying corpse-thieves, you cannot retrieve your dead child's body from the morgue.' Shahsavari Baluch, a civil activist, published images of several victims of the 'Bloody Friday of Zahedan' and the shooting of protesters by the Islamic Republic, writing: 'Yes, war is very scary when more than a hundred people are killed and wounded in less than an hour.' Daryush Omran, a former political prisoner, referred to recent widespread poisoning cases with substandard alcoholic beverages in Iran, accusing the IRGC of being involved in the distribution of 'fake alcohol.' Ismail Shahidi, a protesting citizen, published images of the suppression of protests by government forces in Shiraz in November 2019, writing: 'Yes, war is very scary; especially when military helicopters rain bullets on the people from the sky.' Farid Akramipour, a political activist, criticized those who, with the phrase 'war is very scary,' he claims, create a 'shield for terrorists' with Lebanese and Palestinian children and civilians, reminding: 'Golnaz Samasami was pregnant and the mother of an eight-year-old child who was killed by security forces during the November 2019 massacre.' Nahid Saif, a political activist, also recalled the manner of the killing of Mona Naghib, a child from Sistan and Baluchestan, writing, 'War is very scary; your little girl might get shot on her way to school, and her sister has to carry her home.' Shima Babaei, a civil activist, referred to the killing of Shirin Alizadeh during the nationwide protests of 2022, writing: 'War is very scary, especially when you are filming in horror the shooting of another woman, unaware that you will be the next one to be shot.' Reza Akavaniyan, a human rights activist, also published a video of the suppression of peaceful protesters on September 22, 2022, in Dehdasht, writing: 'When Khamenei's agents shot aimlessly at protesting people in the uprising of women, life, freedom in Dehdasht and took the lives of dear Pedram Azarnoush and Mehrdad Behnam Asl, I saw that war is very scary.' He also emphasized that this video shows the 'moment of killing' Mehrdad Behnam Asl, who 'was standing in a corner.' Bardia Mousavi, a human rights activist, also recalled that during the November 2019 nationwide protests, the suppression resulted in 'over 1500 deaths,' writing: 'War is very scary, but I remember that in November 2019, Nikta Esfandani was shot in the head by a sniper on Sattar Khan Street in Tehran, and her family was forced to confess that Nikta was poisoned and we did not kill her. Nikta was only 14 years old.' Saman Rasoulpour, a journalist, also published an image of a deceased Kolbar teenager, writing: 'Yes, war is very scary; ask 14-year-old Farhad Khosravi who, to survive, fled into the mountains out of fear of the agents and froze to death. When his body was found, he was wearing only a shirt. His jacket was on his 17-year-old brother Azad, whose body was found three days before his.' War is scary. Ask the people who, at the funerals of their children, held a piece of bread in their hands with a lump in their throats and anger.' Khalilollah Baluch, a civil activist, also published an image of a killed Baluch child, writing: 'War is very scary, especially when you have to risk your life for a piece of bread.' At the same time, a group of users also published images of protesters killed and executed by the Islamic Republic. Among them, Saeed Ghasemi Nejad, a senior researcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, shared an image of Majidreza Rahnavard along with the poem: 'He was young and of the essence of a hero, wise, awake, and bright-minded.' A group of users also emphasized that the general public, if given the choice, would prefer peace over war. Among them, Mehdi Yaraei, a protest singer who was arrested for supporting the nationwide protests in 2022, wrote on social media: 'People who are free to choose will always choose peace.' Shervin Hajipour, another protest singer who was arrested following the nationwide protests of 2022 and recently announced the closure of his case, said: 'We do not choose where to be born. I just hope no simple citizen anywhere in the world has their life sacrificed for war.' Hours after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' missile attacks on Israel, while this issue became a hot topic among Iranian users on social media, the IRGC's intelligence organization issued a statement criminalizing users' comments as 'support for Israel' on social media. Meanwhile, many citizens emphasized that the Islamic Republic's 'ideological jihad' has nothing to do with Iran and Iranians. Additionally, observers and analysts have previously told Voice of America that the Islamic Republic has made a significant strategic mistake. Additionally, see: Analysts' assessments of the Islamic Republic's missile attack: The Iranian government made a significant strategic mistake. Previously, Prince Reza Pahlavi stated in a statement that 'the Islamic Republic's missile attack on Israel was a clear declaration of war against that country and, in fact, a declaration of war against the Iranian nation.' Additionally, see: Prince Reza Pahlavi: The regime's missile attack on Israel was a declaration of war against the Iranian nation. Joe Biden, the President of the United States, emphasized Israel's right to respond to the Islamic Republic's missile attack, stating that this response should be 'proportional.' Additionally, see: Joe Biden: Israel's response to the Islamic Republic's attack should be 'proportional.' The Israeli ambassador to the United Nations: Our response to the Islamic Republic will be 'painful.' 'Washington is working with Israel to determine how to respond to Tehran's attack.' The Israeli ambassador at the Security Council: The Iranian government embodies 'terror, death, and chaos.' The United States called for a 'unified stance' from the Security Council against the Islamic Republic's attack on Israel. The death of 26 people due to the consumption of substandard alcoholic beverages; traces of 'government murder'? Speculation about a powerful Israeli response to the Islamic Republic's attack. 'Khamenei told Hassan Nasrallah to go to Iran for his safety.'