Due to the pandemic, official media announced that there should be “no gathering or marching” by people commemorating the collapse of the shah’s regime in 1979 this year, as well as the prior year. Rather, despite the cold, thousands traveled by car, motorcycle, and bicycle to congregate on the capital’s famed Azadi Square. Some had painted their automobiles in the Iranian flag’s red, white, and green colors, while others screamed slogans like “Death to America” and “We will resist until the end” from their windows. People screaming “We will not surrender” at Azadi Square also set fire to a ha…
