Yazid I
Since the protest coincided with Ashura, the commemoration observed by Shi'as for the death of Imam Hussein, the third imam of Shia's who was killed by the order of Umayyad Caliph Yazid I, protesters deliberately blended their political message with the Ashura's religious one in this protest. They alternated anti-government slogans with ancient cries of mourning for Imam Hussein.