Iranians marked the annual Fire Festival on Tuesday, March 14th, with anti-regime protests, continuing a seven-month-long wave of demonstrations that have seen over 750 people killed and tens of thousands arrested.

Despite the regime’s brutal crackdown on dissent, protesters continue to take to the streets daily, demanding regime change and opposing the regime’s oppressive tactics.

Traditionally, the Fire Festival celebrated on the last Tuesday of the Persian calendar year, has been an occasion for protesting the regime. However, with the current state of unrest in the country, the regime took extra security measures to prevent any rallies from taking place. The People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK) declared a nationwide protest campaign on the Fire Festival, and Iranians took to the streets, nonetheless, celebrating the occasion with slogans such as “Death to the dictator!” and “Death to Khamenei!”

State Security Forces and other intelligence and security agencies were on high alert across the country to prevent protests. According to regime officials, 45,000 troops were deployed in Tehran alone, and the IRGC and Basij resorted to mass arrests and intimidation campaigns. The regime’s state-run media outlets engaged in a full-fledged propaganda campaign to discourage youth from joining the protests, including issuing threats and calling on parents to prevent their children from going out on Tuesday night.

In the weeks leading up to the Fire Festival, rebellious youth targeted regime buildings and the headquarters of the IRGC and Basij in different cities, tearing and torching propaganda billboards and posters of regime leaders and icons. These actions helped keep the spirit of the protests alive and prepare society for Tuesday’s demonstrations.

Despite the regime’s threats and measures, Iranians held protest rallies in many cities on Tuesday, with streets filled with the sounds of firecrackers and slogans against the regime.

Protesters chanted, “Death to Khamenei! Damned, be Khomeini!” “We are back, the uprising continues!” and “Death to the oppressor, be it Shah or the mullahs!” In some locations, protesters clashed with security forces dispatched to quell their rallies, while in others, people blocked roads with fires and took control of streets to obstruct the movement of security forces.

Protests continued late into the night in dozens of cities, including Zanjan, where protesters burned a monument of former IRGC Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani, and Karaj, where protesters attacked IRGC buildings to express their hatred of the regime and its oppressive security apparatus.

The Fire Festival protests underscored once again that the regime has failed to suppress the protests and the spirit of the uprising that began in September. The demonstrations signal a revolution in the making that will not be stopped until the people of Iran realize their dreams of a free, democratic republic.

MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook), Maryam Rajavi’s on her site, Twitter & Facebook, NCRI  (Twitter & Facebook), and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTub