In a bold display of defiance, residents of Tehran's Ekbatan district chanted anti-government slogans from their balconies and windows on Sunday evening, echoing massive opposition rallies staged by Iranians abroad in Europe and North America the previous day, according to reports from local social media monitors.
The chants, captured and shared by the Shahrak Ekbatan social media account—which tracks activities in the eastern Tehran neighborhood—included cries of “death to Khamenei,” “death to the Islamic Republic,” and “long live the shah.” This marked a continuation of a trend that began last week, where residents in Tehran and other cities have taken to shouting anti-leadership slogans from the relative safety of their homes within large apartment blocks, avoiding direct confrontation on the streets.
The Islamic Republic, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has faced significant unrest following a protest movement that peaked in January. Rights groups report that security forces repressed the demonstrations in a severe crackdown, resulting in thousands of deaths. While widespread street protests have largely subsided under this pressure, these nighttime balcony chants represent a persistent form of resistance.
The domestic actions were explicitly coordinated with international demonstrations. Reza Pahlavi, son of the shah ousted during the 1979 Islamic Revolution, urged Iranians inside the country to participate in such protests over the weekend, paralleling the rallies abroad.
One of the largest gatherings occurred in Munich, a southern German city, where police estimated 250,000 people attended a rally on Saturday. In an unusual development, Pahlavi personally addressed the crowd, amplifying calls for change within Iran.
These events underscore a growing synchronization between the Iranian diaspora and those at home, leveraging both physical distance and digital platforms to sustain opposition momentum amid ongoing repression.
