![Andrea Venzon [English]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_TTE!,w_120,h_120,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Facd73441-dd62-4692-b623-54f4cf7c2bb7_1231x1231.png)
When Politics Turns Into Cheerleading, Oppressed Peoples Are The Ones Paying The Price
If in recent days you have posted or spoken in support of the protests taking place in Iran, it is highly likely that you have received insults. They often come from people who describe themselves as “left-wing,” but who dismiss everything as “an American plan” or “support for Israel.”
This is nothing new.
It had already happened to me when I supported Ukraine (“Zelensky is CIA,” “Putin is a liberator”) and the Hong Kong protests (“China is liberating Hong Kong!”). And I imagine it has also happened to people on the right who supported Palestine, accused of “hating the West.” The pattern is always the same.
On both sides, too many people stop looking at oppressed peoples and start rooting for a political color, an empire, or an ideology. We lose sight of who is actually suffering, here and now. When this happens, reality gets crushed into a binary narrative: us versus them. And the ones who always pay the price are civilians, protesters, those asking for basic rights.
What Is Really Happening in Iran
Starting on December 28, 2025, Iran was hit by a massive wave of protests, initially sparked by a deep economic deterioration, including soaring inflation and currency devaluation, which have severely impacted people’s daily lives. The demonstrations quickly spread to hundreds of cities and provinces and became not only protests against the economic crisis, but also against the regime’s authoritarianism and the lack of fundamental rights.
According to various NGOs and human rights activists, the repression has been extremely violent, involving the use of firearms, metal pellets, tear gas, and mass arrests.
The most recent available data - despite enormous difficulties in verification due to the internet blackout imposed by the government - indicate that hundreds of people have been killed and over 10,000 arrested during this wave of protests. Some alternative sources speak of significantly higher numbers, but all agree that this repression is among the harshest of recent years. In fact, and this is important to stress, this is not the first protest against the Iranian regime: at regular intervals, the Iranian people - especially the youth - rise up and are brutally repressed, as happened during the protests two years ago centered on demands for greater rights for women, under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom.”
Why the Left (and Not Only the Left) Should Always Stand With Peoples
In an ideal world, a “left-wing” person believes in social progress, human rights, and the freedom of individuals and oppressed peoples, regardless of who the oppressor is. This means looking at struggles for freedom and self-determination beyond geopolitical blocs - beyond U.S. imperialism, the repression of the Chinese or Russian dictatorships, or any other form of domination and occupation. And yes, sometimes this is not easy, because it can mean finding ourselves aligned with governments we oppose in 99% of cases, as with the Israeli government in the case of Iran.
But whatever our political color, one thing should unite us: standing with populations fighting for freedom. From Ukraine to Palestine, from Iran to Hong Kong. This does not mean supporting governments, military alliances, or geopolitical strategies. It means something much simpler - and much harder: putting people before flags. When we stop doing that, we are not doing political analysis. We are just choosing a team to cheer for.
And oppressed peoples have no use for cheerleaders.
PS – A Note on Venezuela
One example that often sparks debate is Venezuela and the illegal operation carried out by Trump to arbitrarily remove the dictator Maduro. I am absolutely happy if the Venezuelan people gain freedom and dignity, and I understand why many people there might celebrate. But the difference with what is happening in Iran is that a people’s freedom should not be achieved at the expense of international law or by legitimizing the law of the strongest. It is a bit like cheering if the state were to eliminate a mafia boss through an extrajudicial killing: if you live in an oppressed community you will naturally feel relief, but the precedent remains extremely serious and unacceptable. Normalizing illegality today means opening the door to new abuses tomorrow.
My name is Andrea Venzon. I am a political activist, and I write to build an independent political space, free from the blackmail of great powers and from resignation. If you like what you read, subscribe. And if you can, take out a paid subscription: it is what allows me to keep writing, analyzing, and taking positions without masters.