Revolutionary Iran kiss photo goes viral as a beautiful act of defiance against the regime

A photo of a couple in Iran kissing in the streets has gone viral as a unique and beautiful act of defiance at a time when the government is stepping up its crackdown on protests across the country.

The photo shows a man and a woman kissing in the street, surrounded by cars. Their faces are obscured, but the woman is not wearing a headscarf, an even more overt act of defiance that relates to the alleged crime that sparked the protests in the first place.

“There’s a reason this photo has gone viral on social media,” Lisa Daftari, Middle East expert and managing editor of The Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital.

“This photo symbolizes so many aspects of the current revolution in Iran. A woman bravely defying hijab laws, a couple breaking strict Sharia law that prohibits kissing in public, especially if they are not married , and bravely stands in the middle of traffic to get his message out to the world,” he explained.

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The protests began in mid-September after the country’s morality police arrested 22-year-old Mahsa Amini for not wearing the hijab properly. Police took her to hospital an hour later with what appeared to be injuries from a beating, and she died a few days later.

A couple in Iran are openly defying several state laws, including requiring women to wear headscarves and possibly banning unmarried couples from kissing in public, in a unique act of defiance against the regime.
(The Foreign Desk)

Anti-hijab sentiment has become a clear unifying symbol for protesters with women removing their hijabs and cutting their hair in the early days of the protests.

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“Young Iranians are incredibly energized to let the world know that they will not turn back,” Daftari said. “They fight for all freedoms.”

Demonstrators gather in front of the White House to protest against the Iranian regime, in Washington, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022.
(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The protests have now spread to more than 140 towns and cities and have lasted more than two months. Iranian security forces have killed at least 326 protesters, according to the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights, and some groups estimate the total could be higher.

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The regime took a step further in its repression by handing down death sentences for alleged crimes committed during the protests.

People blocking an intersection in Iran as protesters marked the symbolic 40 days since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in custody, igniting the biggest anti-government movement in more than a decade.
(AP Photo)

The first death sentence was related to an arson attack on government buildings during the protests, and a revolutionary court handed down a second death sentence on Tuesday for allegedly “terrorizing people on the street with a bladed weapon, setting fire to the motorcycle of a citizen and assault”. a person with a knife,” according to the Judiciary website Mizan Online.

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In addition, Iranian security forces have begun targeting teenagers and children at protests, according to the New York Times. The officers allegedly imprisoned a 14-year-old boy alongside adult prisoners and beat a 13-year-old girl dressed in civilian clothes.