Almost 40,000 people participated the 1978 Tabriz uprising. Local police forces in Tabriz refused to open fire against the demonstrators, which made the
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi call on military forces from outside Azerbaijan provinces. The regime's response to the uprising in Tabriz in February 1978 is described as being "massive repression" which included arrests.
18 February On 18 February 1978, the 40th day, the markets were closed in many parts of the country, ceremonies were held in mosques and mosques, and magnificent gatherings were held in the Grand Mosque of Qom in the morning and evening. On this day, Ayatollah Qazi led a large group of people towards the
Qezelli mosque which is located at the beginning of Tabriz's bazaar. called Mohammad Tajalli, Ayatollah Mohsen Mojtahed Shabestri, in his memoirs, portrays the 19 February developments that the mosque was closed down by Tabriz police, preventing the 40th-anniversary ceremony from taking place. Colonel Haghshenas, the chief of police, was directly there and in charge of the situation. Meanwhile, Mohammad Tajalli approached Colonel Haghshenas and asked why the police had closed the mosque. Colonel Haqshanas insulted by calling the mosque a "barn" in response. People carried Mohammad Tajalli's body to the street, where a large demonstration began, with the number of participants growing.
Toll Hundreds were killed or injured as a result of the security forces' operation. ==Aftermath==