Mahsa Amini’s death is the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ for Iran's defiant youth

In this September 19, 2022, photo taken by an individual not employed by the Associated Press and obtained by the AP outside Iran, women run away from anti-riot police during a protest of the death of a young woman who had been detained for violating the country's conservative dress code, in downtown Tehran, Iran. © AP

Already racked by an economic crisis, Iranians have been taking to the streets to express fury over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the “morality police” despite a deadly crackdown. It is a case of longstanding anger boiling over – amid intensifying repression since hardline President Ebrahim Raisi took power in 2021.

One viral video on Twitter says it all about Iranian protesters’ defiance of the “morality police”: a young woman throws her veil into a bonfire and dances.