Bennett to software experts: Connect Iranians to social media
Following the demonstrations in Iran, a special message from Minister of Defense, Naftali Bennett, to software experts around the world to help the Iranian people.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFNaftali Bennett at a ceremony at the education ministry(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
On Saturday, Minister of Defense, Naftali Bennett, posted a video on his Facebook and Twitter pages, calling on technology experts around the world to work together to help Iranians access social media. In the video, Bennett speaks in English and his words, as they are also intended for the Iranian people and regime, are translated into Persian."Let’s unite for one purpose: to help the long-suffering Iranian people gain open access to all social media," Israel's defense minister said.The video refers to the recent protests in Iran, during which around 200 Iranians have been killed and the government blocked access to the internet for its citizens. While the internet has been restored in recent days, Iranian citizens are still blocked from social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.), and prevented from sharing with the world what is happening in the country.In his remarks, Minister Bennett attacks the Iranian regime: "How scared must a regime be of its own people that it doesn't allow them to access Facebook, Twitter and social media?"Bennett calls on the experts to come to the aid of Iranians, saying, "How about every techie in the world - Israelis, Arabs, Iranians, Americans, Europeans and everyone else - unite for one purpose: to help the long-suffering Iranian people gain open access to social media. A worldwide hackathon for freedom. Whether you're a senior engineer at an AI startup or simply tinkering in your own garage, everyone had a role to play. Call up your most brilliant friends, grab some Red Bull and code through the night to do the impossible."The video ends with a message from the defense minister: ”Together, we can show the Persian people, and the Iranian dictatorship, that power of the people is stronger than the people in power”.Protests have been going on in Iran since earlier in November, when the Iranian government announced that they would increase the price on fuel. The Iranian government has shut down the internet for a few days, and has blamed "foreign powers" for causing them in the first place.
