Why Trump Supports Protesters in Tehran but Not in Minneapolis

"On January 8th, the twelfth day of mass protests in Iran, which began when shopkeepers, responding to runaway inflation, closed Tehran's Grand Bazaar, the Iranian government shut down public access to the internet, further shrouding an already largely closed society. Nevertheless, isolated images and details have been smuggled out, giving a hint of how brutal and monumental these events are."

"Video clips have circulated of people outside a morgue, unzipping body bags as they search for their loved ones. In the western city of Ilam, near the Iraqi border, security officials stormed a hospital to try to seize wounded protesters, while medical staff resisted. An ophthalmologist at a hospital in Tehran reported that it has been overwhelmed by casualties, including many people who were shot in the eye."

"In the conservative city of Mashhad, a journalist said that the streets were "full of blood." The Iranian government has acknowledged the deaths of two thousand people, though international observers fear that the total may be much higher. The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, insisted on Tuesday that the regime was in "its last days or weeks." If he proves to be correct, it will be because of hundreds of thousands of brave acts by Iranian citizens-acts of discontent but also of idealism."

Mass protests in Iran began after shopkeepers closed Tehran's Grand Bazaar in response to runaway inflation and entered their twelfth day on January 8. The government shut down public internet access, further isolating the population. Smuggled images and videos show morgue scenes, medical staff resisting security forces, hospitals overwhelmed with eye injuries, and streets described as "full of blood." The government acknowledged two thousand deaths, while international observers fear higher totals. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz asserted the regime could be in its last days or weeks. The protests reflect widespread discontent and large-scale acts of civic bravery and idealism.

Read at The New Yorker