The Takeaway: Iran's protesters shift to rooftops in response to crackdown
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Iranian protesters are beginning to shift tactics to adapt to a sweeping campaign of arrests and severe internet outages aimed at stifling their message.
For a firsthand account of anti-government protests that have raged for nearly two weeks, The Takeaway reached out to an Al-Monitor correspondent in Tehran, who says “life is hanging in the balance” amid the outpouring of public anger.
“Everyone is wondering what is happening next,” says the correspondent, whose name we are withholding out of security concerns. “Almost everyone can feel the tense air and the uncertainty … While mornings are normally quiet, tension gradually builds up as the evening draws close, which is when people get together in multiple locations.”
Protests that began over the Sept. 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody have morphed into something much bigger, our correspondent says. Compared to the protests of 2009 and 2019, “the key difference now is women's centrality and inclusiveness.”
