Iranians living in the West dance celebrating the death of Tehran

Iranians living in the West are dancing in the streets and posting photos showing celebrations following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash. Raisi, 63, was killed after a helicopter carrying him and other officials crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran on Sunday.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has declared the nation will observe five days of mourning in honor of Raisi. However, Iranians across the globe have taken to social media using the hashtag ‘Happy Helicopter Day’ to share their celebrations of this death. The daughters of Minoo Majidi (pictured) – a 62-year-old Iranian woman who shot 167 times by security services during the nationwide fallout following the death of Mahsa Amini in ‘morality police’ custody September 2022 – shared a video to social media raising a glass to the president’s demise.

Mahsa Piraeri (pictured) said, ‘Today our sadness turned to happiness, although it is not enough, it is a good start.’ Majidi’s last words to her family before she died was ‘If I don’t go out and protest, who else will,’ reported BBC. Her daughter Roya Piraei went viral on Instagram for taking a photo next to her mother’s grave with her head shaven, holding her own hair as a sign of mourning and defiance. ‘I knew I couldn’t speak out. 

This is all I could do to show how cruel this system is,’ Roya (pictured right) told BBC 100 Women. Two more Iranian women, Mersedeh Shahinkar and Sima Moradbeigi, posted a video of themselves dancing and smiling in response to the news Raisi’s helicopter had plunged into the mountainside. Shahinkar was blinded by the security forces’ brutality amid the 2022 protests, while Moradbeigi lost the use of one of her arms after an armed guard blasted her elbow apart from point-blank range.

Video posted to TikTok outside of Iran’s embassy in Copenhagen shows crowds dancing and waving the historic flag of Iran with a golden lion at its center. ‘Iranians in Copenhagen, Denmark, are celebrating Ebrahim Raisi’s death outside the regime’s embassy. Helicopter Day is becoming Helicopter Week,’ the caption said. Iranian advocate Shayan X shared video of people celebrating in a similar fashion outside of the Iranian embassy in London. Crowds cheered, played music and danced on the streets while waving the historic flag of Iran, Union Jacks and Israeli flags. Activist Hamrah United posted video of people partying in Germany commemorating Raisi’s death. Rapper Shaheen Samadi posted a photo with fellow Iranian-American rapper Weapon X toasting to Raisi’s death . ‘From your Friendly Neighborhood Persian Rapper and your Not-So-Friendly-Neighborhood Persian Rapper, Happy Helicopter Day,’ Samadi said. ‘Here’s to hoping Khamenei is next.’

Iranian-American chef Ariana Bundy posted an Instagram story with only the word ‘Karma.’ Iranian-Canadian actress Shiva Negar said on X, ‘How tragic is it for someone to live a life where, upon their passing, the world chooses to celebrate their death rather than mourn their loss.’ ‘Goodbye to the butcher of Tehran. You will not be missed!’ The Iranian Diaspora Collective shared a video of people cheering and blasting music in a car, celebrating Raisi’s death. ‘Raisi is dead. He will never be held accountable in a court of law for four decades worth of gross human rights violations, including the executions of THOUSANDS of political prisoners in the 1980’s, who were buried in unmarked mass graves,’ the group said. ‘There will be no moment of silence for Raisi today. Around the world and the Middle East, people are whoooping with joy.’

Iranian-American psychotherapist Azadeh Afsahi said, ‘Today I’m celebrating with all the survivors of this brutal regime, specifically all the mothers who’ve lost their children. This is a small step towards healing.’ ‘I’m so proud of you for fighting despite the pain and suffering caused by this regime.’ Raisi, who became president of Iran in 2021, was widely seen as a vassal for the regime and a yes man to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

As deputy prosecutor and subsequently chief prosecutor, Raisi stood on the so-called ‘death committee’ – a group of four judges who presided over tribunals in 1988 that were assembled to ‘re-try’ the regime’s political prisoners. Thousands of these prisoners were ruthlessly executed and dumped in unmarked graves. The exact number of deaths is not known but rights groups estimate roughly 5,000 people were killed following Raisi’s brutal judgement. Not only was Raisi loyal to the Republic and its Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini, but throughout the 1980s he had developed a close relationship with the then-president of Iran, Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei went onto become Iran’s Supreme Leader following the death of Khomeini in 1989, and is undoubtedly responsible for charting Raisi’s path to the presidency in 2021 . Following Raisi’s election, his hardline position became yet more evident. In 2022, he ordered tighter enforcement of Iran’s ‘hijab and chastity law’ restricting women’s dress and behavior. It was under these orders that 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was detained in September 2022 by Iran’s ‘morality police’ for wearing ‘improper’ hijab and died three days later in hospital, sparking mass unrest.

The resulting months of nationwide protests presented one of the gravest challenges to Iran’s clerical rulers since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Hundreds of people were killed, according to rights groups, including dozens of security personnel who were part of a fierce crackdown on the demonstrators.

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