Crackdown Forces Intervene as Citizens Celebrate Halloween in Tehran

Citizens who took to the streets of Iran's capital, Tehran, to celebrate Halloween were chased away by a crackdown team and forced to return home, the British daily The Times reported on November 1 local time.

According to the report, on the night of October 31, Iran Shahr Street in central Tehran was filled with citizens wearing colorful Halloween costumes.

The costumes varied widely, ranging from a girl with Vincent van Gogh's "The Starry Night" painted on her face to characters from U.S. Hollywood movies such as "Spider-Man" and "Scream."

Sara, a 26-year-old graduate student, said that the crowd "filled a six-lane road" and that "the entire street turned into a festival site."

The festive atmosphere changed abruptly around 10 p.m. when enforcement personnel rushed in.

Witnesses testified that while there were uniformed police officers, the plainclothes enforcement personnel appeared to be members of the Basij, a paramilitary volunteer militia under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

An attendee wearing a green monster mask recounted that a uniformed police officer approached and threatened, "Take off that mask immediately, or I will take it off myself and throw you into a van," and added that they were later stopped by other officers and slapped in the face.

The attendee added that they saw several people being forced into police vans, though they could not confirm if it was a formal detention.

Another attendee stated that uniformed police and plainclothes enforcement personnel swarmed in amid blaring sirens, threatening people by saying, "If you don't leave immediately, we will throw you in sacks," causing terrified people to start running away.

Uniformed police were present at the scene, but the plainclothes personnel acted aggressively without paying attention to them.

Witnesses also saw them shouting at women over wearing hijabs and dragging away a young man dressed as Spider-Man.

Accounts of sexual harassment also followed.

Graduate student Sara stated that about 30 minutes after the crackdown team arrived, almost no women could be found on the street.

The Times reported that it had verified videos capturing similar Halloween scenes in other areas besides Tehran, including Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf, Rasht, Shiraz, and the Armenian residential district of Isfahan.

This directly defied the guidelines of the Iranian authorities.

Previously, the Iran Chamber of Commerce banned Halloween-related events, gatherings, advertisements, and merchandise sales in public places and commercial facilities, warning that cafes and restaurants violating this could face measures such as closure.

One attendee said, "People came out to the streets to enjoy the festival and show that they are still alive," adding, "It showed that no one can arbitrarily dictate to us what we can and cannot do."

(File Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.