1978 Qom protest
1978 Qom protests refers to the demonstrations against the Pahlavy dynasty ignited by the "Iran and Red and Black Colonization" article published in "Ettela'at" newspaper on 7 January 1978. The article insulted Khomeini, describing him as Indian Sayyed, who later founded the Islamic Republic of Iran. 9 January 1978 (19 Dey) is regarded as a bloody day in Qom. Prelude. The 1978 Qom protest was precedented by 1978 Qom protest also staged by the seminary students. On 7 January 1978, an article insulting Khomeini was published by a pseudonymous author in "Ettela'at", an afternoon newspaper in Tehran . Reacting to the article, huge protests were formed in Qom. The event. At the evening of the 7 January 1978, students of seminary in Qom made hand copies of the article, a cheap and safe method, adding the addendum that the next day a meeting was to be hold at the "Khan" seminary in protest to the contents of the article. Students protested the next day, on 8 January, and bazaar were closed on 9 January 1978. The 9 January protests turned violent when someone, protestors or provocateurs, threw stone breaking the window of a nearby bank which resulted in  the security forces using live ammunition to disperse and attack people. Between 5-300 people were consequently killed in the protest. Aftermath. The incident was spread throughout Iran and quickly became an important landmark triggering a revolutionary mobilization.