Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, July 1, 2022
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| Ural Hatemi |
Sociologist Ural Hatemi discussed the increasingly radical economic protests in Iranian Azerbaijan in an interview with Voice of America. According to Hatemi, the large-scale economic protests organized in Tabriz, independent of the National Movement, are a subject that requires analysis.
The sociologist warns that, if the harsh economic conditions persist, more radical protests are likely to occur.
He explains, "What the results of these protests will be, where they will go, what will happen in the coming days, months, or years is another matter. But this radicalization shows that in Azerbaijan, the knife has reached the bone. If this continues, it is certain that the regime will face even more severe and radical protests."
In recent months, various social groups, including teachers and pensioners supported by the Social Welfare Organization, have held protests in many regions of Iran. In Iranian Azerbaijan, slogans against the Iranian government and officials were first heard during a large march in Tabriz on June 6. Similar slogans had been voiced in other regions of the country earlier.
According to Ural Hatemi, "In Tabriz and generally in Azerbaijan, there are no worker or labor organizations. For example, in the southern regions of Iran, where Arabs live, there are such groupings among workers. Even though they are unofficial, there are informal organizations. We have seen the results of this organization in their protests."
The sociologist believes that the reason why the economic protests in Iranian Azerbaijan are less radical than in other parts of the country is because the political forces in Azerbaijan are more focused on identity issues.
"One must also consider that, in each region, it is not the entire society that protests, but specific segments. When we look at the political groupings in Azerbaijan, we must pay attention to organizations related to language, national culture, identity issues, and Turkishness, and the energy directed towards those causes. This energy is not being spent on workers. What I mean is that there may be a collective energy within society, but this energy is fragmented in Tabriz. In reality, if we were to unite these, we would see the power of political movements as a whole," he explained.
Hatemi suggests that the organization of large protests related to wages, independent of the National Movement, in Iranian Azerbaijan is a matter that requires analysis.
"Everyone knows that in terms of political movements, the greatest strength in Azerbaijan is identity, culture, and language rights. In other words, the National Movement carries significant weight as a whole. Now, the fact that workers are going to the streets independently of the Azerbaijan National Movement, and that this movement is being expressed outside of its organization, is an event that needs to be analyzed," he stated.
The sociologist added, "Identity, culture, and language rights are one aspect of the fight against colonization. There is no contradiction with the struggle against economic exploitation and injustices. In other words, the National Movement has overlooked one issue, which is the workers, pensioners, the poor, and the hungry that we see today. This does not mean that these issues have been completely ignored. But deeper work is needed on this matter. These issues must be debated. Unfortunately, this is not happening. We are settling for just the news. Today, we don’t even have an independent website for Azerbaijan or Turkish workers and other classes in Iran to discuss their struggles and hold debates."
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Ural Hatəmi: İran Azərbaycanında milli hərəkat əməkçilərin vəziyyətinə diqqət yetirir, ancaq bu yetərli deyil