Internal descent grows in Iran using bank notes for messages

BBC:
A group of Iranian Twitter users are spreading protest messages by writing slogans on banknotes.

"Banknotes are our un-censorable messengers," one user wrote, referring to a rumoured plan to permanently block the popular messaging app Telegram, which is by far the most popular digital communication tool in Iran.

Slogans included "I am an overthrower".

Some of the sayings were originally chanted during mass anti-establishment protests at the turn of the year.

In late December, demonstrators took to the streets then to express their dissatisfaction with the social and economic situation in the country.

Telegram was believed to have been the main platform people used to obtain and share information about the protests, which took place across Iran from late December 2017 to January 2018.

Nearly 8,000 tweets have been posted since 28 April under the hashtag #Onehundredthousand_talking_banknotes in Persian, according to BBC Monitoring. Most posts are aimed at raising awareness about the new online movement.

Other messages read: "Our enemy is right here, they say it's America". (Emphasis added.)

Most tweets were posted anonymously, making them hard to independently verify.

Twitter is officially banned in the country, although Iran's Supreme Leader, president and other officials have active accounts. People can access the site by using proxy services.

One account, @Iran_white_rose, described the banknote campaign as a "bridge between social media and society" and an act of "civil disobedience".

Another, going by the name of @N_a_r_r_a_t_o_r, published a photograph of a note featuring a drawing of a protester in a hijab - a tribute to the recent "Girls of Enqelab (Revolution) Street" movement against the compulsory Islamic dress code in the country.
...
There are 4 million users of the Telegram app, about half the population.  It appears that Donald Trump's criticism of the regime is popular with a significant portion of the population.  I think the mullahs are much weaker than any in the West think.  Getting rid of Obama's bad deal could be a tipping point.

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