The city of Bostan.
Khuzestan Province.
It’s Thursday night, 15th of July 2021.
People are on the street chanting, "My life for Ahwaz,"
And holding signs reading, "I'm thirsty. Water is my right."
Protests started over the lack of water due to the construction of dams
and the diversion of rivers by the government,
and the colonization of Arab people in the so-called Khuzestan province,
which many Arabs call Al-Ahwaz.
One can say Khuzestan is one of the richest and poorest regions in so-called Iran.
Khuzestan province, located in the southwest of the country,
produces more than 85% of the country's crude oil,
more than 30% of the country's fresh water,
and supplies 15% of the country's agricultural products.
At the same time,
25% of the province's population lives in poverty on the outskirts of the cities.
Now it’s Friday, the next day.
The weekend in Iran.
The sun has not risen on the entire western world,
yet the sparks of the protests last night have set the whole Arab-populated region on fire.
The Cities of Ahvaz,
Hoveyzeh,
Shadegan or Fallehiyeh,
Hamidiyeh,
Khorramshahr or Al-Moharrameh,
Bostan,
Susangard or Al-Khafājiyah,
Mahshahr,
with majority native Arab population, were the first to rise.
Over the next couple of days,
the cities of Dezful and Izeh in Khuzestan province join the uprising dubbed,
“the uprising of the thirsty.”
The uprising gains strength as the days go by.
Kurdistan,
Kermanshah,
Luristan,
Azarbaijan,
Ardabil,
Khurasan,
Isfahan,
Yazd,
Bushehr,
Alborz,
Tehran,
and Baluchistan,
start protesting against the regime in solidarity with Khuzestan.
The protests were met with violence from the beginning.
Police opened fire on protestors on the second day of the protest.
Many have been killed, hundreds injured, and hundreds arrested.
Despite all this,
The struggle continues,
and the protests are spreading even further.