Palisadians showed support for Iranian women by holding a protest.
Story and Photos by: CHAZ PLAGER
The Palisades Farmer’s Market on Sunset and Swarthmore was just a bit noisier than normal, on October 30, thanks to the March for Iranian Women’s Rights being held.
Led by Palisades High School juniors Sarah Soroosh Maghadian and Clementine Causse, more than 30 people marched back and forth across Sunset, carrying pickets and banners expressing support for women in Iran.
“We’re here to show people that we care, and the government that we care,” Maghadian said. “America has a lot of power affecting politics around the world, and if we show we care, we can get the word out and maybe even people in power will listen.”
Protests were being held across the country, in support of Irani woman.
Authorities had shut down the internet and cell service in Iran in response to protests. That country’s morality police are being blamed for the imprisonment and murder of some women.
Protestors in Iran are upset with those police and the hijab laws, which require girls nine years and older to cover their hair and wear loose clothing. Over the summer, Iran’s hard-line president, Ebrahim Raisi, issued further restrictions on women’s dress and ordered all “responsible entities and institutions” to step up hijab law enforcement.
Mahsa Amini’s parents say she died after police beat her while in custody for allegedly violating these laws. President Raisi has said authorities are investigating Amini’s death and called Iran a champion of women’s and human rights.
The Palisades protest was advertised through flyers and social media. The Palisades Women’s Club also sponsored the event.
Maghadian said she was motivated by the killing of Mahsa Amini and asked her friend Clementine to help her set up the protest. The protest went from 10 a.m. to noon, with cars driving by and honking in support.
Sarah Soroosh Maghadian (left) and Clementine Causse organized the protest.