According to reports, the municipality of Abadan violently dismantled the stalls of several street vendors on Saturday, October 25, 2023. The carts and minimal equipment of these vendors were shattered under the blows of municipal and security forces; tools that were their only means of livelihood and support for their families.
During this confrontation, one of the vendors, pointing at the municipal and security forces, angrily protested, saying: “Look, this is our thieving government! The thieves have come. They claim to be believers, yet treat us this way.” The destruction of the vendors’ work tools exacerbates the economic pressure on families who rely on their daily income to meet even their most basic needs.
Addressing poverty and unemployment by destroying people’s means of work not only fails to solve any problems but can also push them further into the depths of poverty and deprivation. This incident once again highlights the bitter contradictions of life in the Khuzestan region; an area rich in vast oil and gas resources and fertile lands, yet many of its inhabitants continue to struggle with poverty, unemployment, and deprivation.
While the resources of this land generate immense wealth, some residents are forced to resort to street vending to secure their daily bread, only to have even their minimal means of income taken away from them.
