"Analysts say Musk's move may give a small boost to some protesters, but matters little during internet blackouts. Amid intensifying protests in Iran, the world's richest man has weighed in. On January 4, Elon Musk, the multi-billionaire owner of social media platform X, responded to a post by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that said we will not give in to the enemy by suggesting in Farsi that he was delusional."
"Then, on Saturday, Musk's platform X changed the Iranian flag emoji on the site from the one used since the Islamic revolution in 1979 to the pre-revolution flag featuring a lion and sun. Some demonstrators inside and outside of Iran have waved the pre-1979 flag as a protest against the current regime. Musk's moves have gained some support from critics of the regime in Tehran."
Protests in Iran began on December 28 amid soaring inflation and have spread to more than 100 cities and all provinces. Demonstrators focus on state governance and call for an end to rule by the ayatollahs and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that took power after the 1979 revolution. Khamenei has led the country since 1989. Many analysts view the current unrest as one of the biggest challenges to the regime, following waves including the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom movement. Elon Musk responded to Khamenei and changed X's Iranian flag emoji to the pre-1979 lion-and-sun, a symbol used by some protesters. Analysts say such online moves may boost protesters slightly but have limited effect during internet blackouts.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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