About 100 Iranian filmmakers asked the military to lay down their weapons.

On Sunday, June 28, about 100 Iranian filmmakers issued a statement calling on the Islamic Republic's military to lay down their weapons and end the repression of Iranian protesters.

The signatories of this statement, noting that "the roaring army of oppressed people from all over Iran have raised a cry of solidarity and empathy with the suffering people of Aban," said: "Now that public anger over corruption, theft, ineffective repression, and suffocation has led to waves of public protests, we call on all those who have become agents of repression in military units to lay down their weapons and return to the embrace of the nation."

Among the signatories of this statement are Mahnaz Afzali, Majid Barzegar, Jafar Panahi, Leila Hatami, Pouran Derakhshandeh, Abolhassan Davoudi, Mohammad Rasoulof and Katayoun Riahi, Mona Zandi, Saman Salour, Ali Mosaffa, and Tahmineh Milani.

The recent statement by Iranian filmmakers refers to the collapse of the Metropole Tower in Abadan, which has led to widespread protests in this city as well as several other cities in Iran.

In recent years, Iranian artists and famous figures, or so-called "celebrities," have been the target of much criticism for their silence in the face of the government's repressive policies, and in some cases have been accused of siding with the Islamic Republic or being self-serving, especially the silence of Iranian filmmakers at international events such as the recently concluded Cannes Film Festival.

However, at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, which ended on Saturday night, Zar Amirabrahimi, an Iranian actress in Ali Abbasi's film "The Holy Spider," expressed sympathy for the people of Abadan after receiving the festival's Best Actress award.

Saeed Roustaei, an Iranian director who was present in the main competition section of this film event this year with the film "Leila's Brothers", also presented the prestigious FIPRESCI award to the people of Abadan in sympathy and solidarity after receiving it.

The Iranian Writers' Association also issued a statement on June 27 accusing the Islamic Republic government of "concealing the facts and spreading false news" regarding the Metropole collapse disaster, emphasizing that "the news and images that people pass through the censorship barrier reveal the horrific dimensions of this destruction."

So far, 29 people have been reported dead in the Abadan Metropolis collapse, and the governor of Khuzestan said on Sunday, citing statements from families, that 38 people who were present at the time of the building collapse are still missing.

In addition to Abadan, Dezful, and Shahr-e Rey, where news of protest rallies had previously been published, a group of people from Andimeshk also gathered in the street on the evening of June 27 and chanted slogans against the government.

According to videos posted by citizens on social media, the suppression of protests in Abadan and some other cities was accompanied by violence, and in a number of videos and images, special forces are seen chasing protesters and throwing stones at demonstrators.

Even official reports state that special forces fired tear gas and shotgun pellets at some protesters, while there have also been reports of a number of protesting citizens being injured and some of them being arrested.

Following public reports of the widespread presence of a special unit in Abadan after the collapse of the Metropole Tower to suppress protests, one of the police commanders claimed that the reason for the deployment of the unit was to "help the affected people."

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in major cities of Khuzestan, including Abadan, Ahvaz, and Khorramshahr, is still described as security-related, and some citizens have reported the deployment of special unit officers and the shutdown of mobile internet since Saturday evening.

Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei, sent a message of condolences on the fourth day after the Metropole collapse, and Ebrahim Raisi's government announced five days after the incident that it had decided to declare June 8th a day of public mourning.

In some videos released on the evening of June 27, protesters also chant slogans such as "Khamenei is a murderer, his leadership is null and void" and "Commander in Chief, resign, resign."

In the Abadan Metropole collapse incident, some Islamic Republic officials have also admitted that during the construction of this tower, there was a widespread dispute between the original owner of the tower, the municipality, and some officials.

Hossein Abdulbaqi, the builder and owner of the Metropole Tower, who Islamic Republic officials say was killed under the rubble, has been accused of carrying out construction outside legal regulations with the green light of city officials and in collusion with officials.

In recent days and nights, the cities of Shahinshahr, Isfahan, Mahshahr, Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, and Behbahan have also witnessed protest gatherings of people chanting anti-government slogans.

Source: Radio Farda