Iran: Activists call for boycott to blow hole in economy

Iranian activists are calling for a new wave of protests with the aim of opening a hole in the economy of the Islamic Republic, one day after the abolition of the Moral Police.

Citizens were summoned not to shop in stores for the next three days in order to prevent money from circulating in the Iranian banking system. According to the activists, the aim is to keep as many shops as possible closed until Wednesday, mainly in the financial centers, as well as the open-air markets in the big cities.

Iran is wracked by protests after the death of Masha Amini of Kurdish originafter she was detained by the morality police for not wearing her hijab properly, revealing some tufts of her hair.

The abolition of the Morals Police is, according to observers, an attempt to appease the protesters in view of the planned three-day mobilizations. The Moral Police, known as Ghast-e-Ershad, was established under Iran’s ultraconservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad “to spread the culture of modesty and the hijab.” It consists of men in green uniform and women wearing black chador, a garment that covers the head and upper body. This Police started its patrols in 2006.