A video has surfaced on social media showing a former member of Iran’s Basij militia burning his ID card in solidarity with the people of Iran and against the Islamic Regime.
“This is my Basij ID card,” the man, identified as Mostafa Dehbashizadeh, says in the video. “What does this mean? It means I say goodbye to the bloodthirsty regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This destructive regime.”
He went on to say the Iranian regime shows “no mercy to anyone.” He then implored other Basij members to rise up and burn their ID cards and reject the Iranian regime:
Video of #Basij militia member burning his ID card, saying he joins the people. #IranProtests #Iran #تظاهرات_سراسری pic.twitter.com/hRniIxOIV8
— Farnaz Fassihi (@farnazfassihi) January 8, 2018
Several other videos have surfaced alleging to show current Basij militia members burning their ID cards on social media. In these videos, the subjects do not show their faces, citing fears of retribution from the government.
In one of these videos, posted on Twitter by a producer at the Kurdish news outlet Rudaw, a woman appears to show her charred Basij card. She blacked out her name and any other identifying information on the card before rolling the cameras in order to protect her identity:
Woman member of #Basij forces burn her card and ask other members to join the protestors.#Iranprotests #Iran#تظاهرات_سراسری pic.twitter.com/ogDP2EgjTi
— Nabil Yousif (@NebilYousif) January 3, 2018
“I once was part of the Basij but when I saw that their commanders were no different from the Islamic State, I decided to distance myself from them. And I have set my card on fire,” the woman said. She added, “And now I’m calling out to all the Basijis and asking how long will you defend this crooked regime? Before it’s too late, side with the people [of Iran]. Long live freedom, long live Iran.”
Others have also taken to social media to burn what they claim are their own Basij ID cards and encourage others to do the same. Breitbart News was not able to independently identify the veracity of these videos:
More images emerging of #Iran-ians burning their #Basij membership cards in show of support for #IranProtests. #تظاهرات_سراسرى #ایران pic.twitter.com/lkatSrBPMa
— Daniel Amir (@Daniel_Amir1) January 4, 2018
https://twitter.com/radiojibi/status/948784612616081408
According to the Daily Mail, videos of civilians burning government documents and bills, and refusing to pay their utilities, have also surfaced over social media.
Clips were reportedly uploaded to social media with captions stating, “We do not pay any bills” and “This corrupt system is doomed to end.”
Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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