Thousands of Retirees and Stock Market Losers Protest in Various Iranian Cities

As part of a new wave of occupational protests due to livelihood problems in Iran, stock market losers and social security retirees in the capital and other cities have gathered and, by chanting slogans, emphasized their refusal to participate in the upcoming presidential elections.

Following protests on Monday in front of the stock exchange building—protests during which the institution’s flag was lowered by demonstrators—images published on social media indicate that bankrupt shareholders of the stock market gathered again in front of the stock exchange building in Saadatabad, Tehran. While demanding government attention to their financial situation, they chanted slogans stating they will no longer vote in the Islamic Republic system.

Stock market losers have lost their assets and capital following the collapse of economic indices. Last year, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Hassan Rouhani encouraged people to participate in the stock market and invest in it.

Retirees from Mashhad gathered in front of the organization with the slogan “Injustice and oppression are enough; our table is empty.”

Beyond this, a new round of retiree gatherings that began in mid-Farvardin with slogans against participation in presidential elections continued this week in the cities of Tehran, Ilam, Karaj, Mashhad, Arak, and Qazvin.

In the cities of Bojnord and Arak, social security retirees also held gatherings.

The slogan of non-participation in Islamic Republic elections has become a rallying cry for opponents and protesters across various social classes and sectors in Iran, as Faezeh Hashemi, a political activist and daughter of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, as well as Mohammad Nourizad, a political activist imprisoned in prison, have stated they will not participate in the presidential elections.

Likewise, a group of retirees and pensioners in Tabriz gathered in front of the social security building, chanting slogans.