Imam Ali Community: A number of poor children have been called upon to suppress the protesters by giving them several bags of food.

Hundreds of members and supporters of the "Imam Ali Society" said in a statement that the Islamic Republic government has used a number of poor children to "suppress" protesters on the streets of Iran by giving them "a few bags of food."

Referring to children who were previously under the protection of this group, the statement reads: "We hear from some children who have called their friends and classmates to the streets to suppress their fellow citizens, not to defend their rights, but to defend injustice."

The signatories of this statement have strongly criticized the Islamic Republic of Iran for "sowing seeds of hatred in the hearts of children instead of love and friendship."

The statement adds: "Instead of "teaching peace and friendship, the Islamic Republic government has put helmets on their heads and given them batons in the most violent scenes that are harmful for children to see."

The Imam Ali Group interpreted this action by the Islamic Republic as "a sting on the wounds of children so that the complexes and closed wounds of not having, not being, and not seeing will open up in this way."

This statement comes after images were released showing children under the age of 18 wearing helmets and batons on some streets of Tehran to suppress protesters over the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the security police.

In some images, a number of these children are wearing slippers, which social media users have described as a sign of their families' "poverty."

This is not the first time that the Islamic Republic has exploited children to advance its goals.

In addition to various protests, during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, a large number of children were sent to the front lines as soldiers and lost their lives in the fighting.

Source: Radio Farda