#title Now that the Islamic Republic has not fallen through street protests or foreign war, what should we do?
#author Anarchist Front of Iran and Afghanistan
#date September 5 2026
#source Retrieved on September 5 2026 from https://www.instagram.com/anarchist_front/p/Dc5QNClDfyv/
#lang en
#pubdate 2026-09-14T07:23:59.668Z
#authors Bi-Dar, Anarchist Front of Iran and Afghanistan
#topics Iran, Iranian anarchism, anti-war, imperialism, anarchist analysis, Middle East



*** What can we actually do?

The continued rule of a political system does not necessarily mean that it is effective or powerful. The Islamic Republic is a wounded and deeply dysfunctional system when it comes to governing the territory of Iran. Every day, it imposes greater costs on the people and on the country. Yet, relying on its machinery of repression and military forces, it continues to stand against a significant part of Iranian society. And it continues to engage in plunder and crime. The question is: given the current situation, what can we actually do?
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*** We, as a political organization

As a political organization, we consider institution-building and organizing to be among our responsibilities. This organizing does not take place solely through demonstrations or street actions. It also means building institutions and networks that can increase human and social resilience in times of crisis.
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*** Institutions for times of crisis

Human rights reporting groups, security educators, support organizations, and other independent initiatives can all play an important role during times of crisis. They can help people survive, remain standing, and preserve their dignity in the face of repression and instability. Building such structures can also reduce the human cost of confronting a heavily armed and highly organized state.


*** How do we do this?

Anarchism is fundamentally defined through its connection with society and through the creativity of diverse individuals acting independently of centralized authority. We are among you. To this day, the activities of the Anarchist Front have been made possible primarily through voluntary participation. This institution-building can only happen with the support and participation of the people who follow and stand with the Anarchist Front. Our skills and abilities, combined with yours, can create the foundations for helping people and protecting our society and our land.


*** What will we do in the streets?

We believe that life under domination and oppression is unacceptable. At the same time, life is precious and worth protecting, and we do not advocate pointless martyrdom. For this reason, we must take the realities on the ground into account and learn from the experience of mass killings, avoiding the loss of large numbers of lives for little or no meaningful gain.

*** Learning from experience

Street demonstrations in Iran cannot simply be understood outside the reality of state repression. The Islamic Republic has created a situation in which peaceful protest faces severe repression. Iranian society will inevitably confront the question of how to respond to this reality-a reality imposed upon it by the Islamic Republic, against its will. And if society is to move beyond this situation, it will require organization, awareness, resilience, and a serious understanding of the realities it faces.

*** Conclusion

When street protests alone have failed to dismantle the structure of repression, the more important question is: What can we build? Change does not happen only in the moment of an uprising. A society that wants to endure repression and crisis needs mutual aid, organization, education, documentation, and independent social institutions.


          For us, anarchism is not merely the rejection of power; it is also an effort to build capacities that emerge from within society itself.
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<br>Neither forgetting the streets, nor reducing everything to the streets.
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<br>Building society is part of the struggle.