The Failure of Mainstream Left
I should begin this post by emphasizing that, as an Iranian, I don't expect foreigners to respond to what is occurring in Iran. I acknowledge that at this time, we are all going through our own problems, and if someone oversees the circumstances around the globe, it’s indeed admirable and an absolutely compassionate act. With that being said, I appreciate silence more than slamming a movement such as the recent protests in Iran.
Since the start of the protests in late December, many "activists" have been calling it out as another Mossad-CIA operation in Iran. These activists, who are predominantly "pro-Palestinian," not only lack any sort of knowledge regarding the political climate in Iran, but also prefer to comment in a way that is the opposite of the “cause” they stand for. There are several parallels between these protesters and the Gazans. They are both fighting for the bare minimum for their lives. They want freedom not only speech, but "living" equally and having privileges that have been stolen from them for decades. While there are disparities on paper between the Islamic regime and Zionists, in practice, they took the identical approach; they both massacre powerless people with no shame while calling them "terrorists". Every time a reporter questions Netanyahu why you bombed that hospital or killed that journalist, he hides behind "Hamas," and you just need to go through the recent interviews by the regime's officials and notice how many times they used the word "terrorist" to not only devalue the protesters, but also legitimize their crimes.
Figures such as Hasan Piker, Mehdi Hassan, Cenk Uygur, and others who "rightfully" got a lot of credit due to speaking against Zionists and the Trump administration are now reproducing the regime's agenda and putting the blame not on the IRGC or the supreme leader, but Mossad, and calling it another operation like the 1953 coup d'etat. My issue with this narrative, apart from living in Iran for 23 years and undergoing multiple crackdowns, is that Mossadegh was truly an eminent figure who was harming Western influence in the Middle East. He was a dedicated nationalist who not only cared about his administration but also the sovereignty of Iran. Do I see the regime that is butchering the youths in the streets (another similarity to Israel), the same as Mossadegh? Undoubtedly not.
I was discussing this topic with a friend lately, and I need to add that I believe the main explanation behind this failure by the "leftist" influencers is that they are not as "left" as they might presume. I'm sure none of them has read one page of The Capital or educated him/herself more than some random data from the Internet. Their actual school of thought is "anti-Americanism" and not even "anti-Imperialism". Anti-Imperialism will push you to support not only Palestinians, but also Ukrainians and Iranians who are fighting against external and internal forces to maintain their freedom. Two things can be true at the same time, and if you think being a leftist means you should always check if your goal is against the USA, sorry, but that's just kindergarten-level policy.