Daneshjoo News – Following a strike that began mid last week by Tehran Bazaar to protest the government’s inappropriate economic policies, by the end of that week, the merchants of Tabriz’s Grand Bazaar began to express their support by objecting to the recent arrests of Azerbaijani civil activists. Consequently, all shops in Tabriz’s Grand Bazaar were completely locked down for the past three days.
At the onset of the strike, Tabriz intelligence and security forces began talks with merchants in an attempt to avoid a general strike by the entire Bazaar. In addition to pressuring the merchants, the intelligence and security forces also engaged in threats and intimidation with the intention of ending the strike and re-opening the shops in the Grand Market.
It is worth mentioning that in the past few days, plainclothes agents also visited the homes of several trade union leaders (E.g. the textile union) and attempted to warn and intimidate them regarding the continuation of the strike.