On Jan. 8, millions of citizens took to the streets at about 4,000 different locations across Iran to protest the Islamic regime, resulting in the largest protest and the most violent government crackdown since protests began on Dec. 28. Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) reported that more than 7,000 protestors died between Jan. 8 and 9. Eyewitnesses recalled that officers pursued people while firing weapons, killing them or leaving them with severe injuries. Political scientist Mohammad Ghaedi explained that, with such a massive outbreak of unrest, this is the only way the regime could regain control over the people.