'Been dead for 47 years': Video of elderly woman's 'bloody' protest ignites new wave of unrest in Iran

A video showing an elderly woman protestor defying the Islamic regime has spread widely on social media, becoming a powerful symbol of growing unrest across the country. The clip emerged as the government stepped up its crackdown on anti-regime protests driven by economic distress and public frustration.

The footage, recorded during a night-time protest in Tehran, shows the woman walking through the streets while chanting slogans against the government.

She appears to have a red liquid around her mouth, though it remains unclear whether it is blood or paint used as a form of protest.

“I’m not afraid. I’ve been dead for 47 years,” she shouts in the video.

Sharing the clip on X, Iranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad described the woman as a voice of resistance.

“This is the voice of a woman in Iran who is fed up with the Islamic republic,” Alinejad wrote. “47 years ago, the Islamic Republic took our rights and turned a nation into hostages. Today people have nothing left to lose, they rise. Iran is rising,” she added.

Demonstrations continued on Friday morning after calls for protests by exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. This happened despite the authorities cutting off internet access and international phone services across the country, news agency PTI reported.

Short videos shared online appeared to show protesters chanting slogans, gathering around bonfires and marching through streets littered with debris in Tehran and other cities.

Iranian state media addressed the protests on Friday, accusing “terrorist agents” linked to the United States and Israel of setting fires and provoking violence. It also reported “casualties” but did not provide details.

The protests mark a significant escalation in demonstrations that began on December 28 over Iran’s struggling economy and have since evolved into one of the most serious challenges to the government in recent years.

The unrest has also become the first major test of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi’s influence on the Iranian public. His father, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, fled Iran shortly before the 1979 revolution after falling seriously ill.