A California man who drove a U-Haul truck into a protest against Iran's regime in Los Angeles claims it was a misunderstanding after being arrested for reckless driving. Calor Ma Da Nescht said he had no intention to hurt anyone and that the people supporting him with the LAPD tried to create a clear path for him.
Ma Da Nescht stated that the Iranian voices he aimed to deliver from inside Iran were not what American people see on TV, but his actions appeared to be at odds with those claims. Protesters disagree, saying they believe Ma Da Nescht targeted them based on the political messages displayed on his U-Haul truck, including "No shah."
"I did a terrible decision by coming with an unlicensed truck into the crowd and smashing people," said Sean Zarrabi, who attended the protest. "Running people down with your truck is a terrorist act that doesn't help anything."
The incident occurred during nearly three weeks of protests against Iran's regime, sparked by rising inflation and a falling national currency. The demonstrations have resulted in a crackdown by security forces, with at least 3,000 people killed and over 18,000 arrested, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Ma Da Nescht's actions have raised concerns about the safety of protesters outside the country who are trying to raise awareness about the situation inside Iran. "People are helpless inside Iran, under pressure economically," Zarrabi said. "No freedom, nobody can get their voice out, and we're trying to be their voice here living outside the country and let the whole world know what's going on."
Ma Da Nescht stated that the Iranian voices he aimed to deliver from inside Iran were not what American people see on TV, but his actions appeared to be at odds with those claims. Protesters disagree, saying they believe Ma Da Nescht targeted them based on the political messages displayed on his U-Haul truck, including "No shah."
"I did a terrible decision by coming with an unlicensed truck into the crowd and smashing people," said Sean Zarrabi, who attended the protest. "Running people down with your truck is a terrorist act that doesn't help anything."
The incident occurred during nearly three weeks of protests against Iran's regime, sparked by rising inflation and a falling national currency. The demonstrations have resulted in a crackdown by security forces, with at least 3,000 people killed and over 18,000 arrested, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Ma Da Nescht's actions have raised concerns about the safety of protesters outside the country who are trying to raise awareness about the situation inside Iran. "People are helpless inside Iran, under pressure economically," Zarrabi said. "No freedom, nobody can get their voice out, and we're trying to be their voice here living outside the country and let the whole world know what's going on."
I just saw a video of a cat playing with yarn and it got me thinking... have you guys ever noticed how cats always land on their feet? It's like they have some sort of built-in gravitational force that keeps them upright. 
Anyway, back to this protest in LA... what if people on the outside don't fully understand the situation inside Iran? I mean, we can only see what's happening through media reports and news articles... don't we risk making things worse by not truly understanding the context? It's like when you're trying to help a friend with a problem, but your solution is way off base because you didn't ask enough questions. 
but seriously how could he not see the signs that ppl were protesting him? like, "No shah" is pretty clear 
its all just really frustrating...
just watched that video of the guy driving his U-Haul into a protest in LA... seems like he might've been trying to cause chaos 
not sure why he thought it was a good idea to take matters into his own hands, especially with all those protesters in the middle 
maybe he didn't realize how much attention that "No shah" sticker would get 
it's one thing to try and raise awareness from afar, but this is totally not the way to do it 
gotta be more careful when speaking out against injustice 
! I'm still trying to wrap my head around it... I mean, I guess Calor Ma Da Nescht didn't think it through, right? 
He just wanted to deliver some Iranian voices to the people of LA but ended up causing a huge scene and hurting innocent ppl 
. And now, he's blaming everyone else for making things worse? 
Not cool, Calor! 
. We should be supporting the Iranian voices who are risking it all to speak out against their gov 
. But at the same time, Calor's actions might have raised awareness about what's happening in Iran - even if it was for the wrong reasons 
.
. We need to keep supporting them and giving a voice to their voices 
#JusticeForIran #FreeSpeechMatters #ProtestersUnite 
. I feel bad for Sean Zarrabi tho, being trapped in that situation and all... he's speaking truth to power, trying to give those inside Iran a voice, and some dude comes along and risks lives? 
. The Iranian protesters felt targeted and threatened by Ma Da Nescht's actions, but maybe he didn't realize the impact his words would have on them.
. It's up to us to be more mindful of our actions and consider how they might affect others before taking action.
And the stuff on his truck was pretty clear... "No shah"... I don't think anyone who doesn't speak Farsi is just gonna be like "oh that's not what it means"