The events started on 7 January 1978, followed by the closing of bazaars and seminaries, with students rallying towards the homes of religious leaders on the next day.
[5][6] Previously, a June 1975 protest in Qom, staged by seminary students, was violently suppressed by security forces.
On 7 January 1978, an article insulting Khomeini was published by a pseudonymous author in Ettela'at, an afternoon newspaper in Tehran.
"[1] Speaking in a press interview, Ayatollah Shariatmadari said that the article had "besmirched our faith" and "shocked all Muslims in Iran.
A report by SAVAK, the Shah's intelligence agency, described the event as such: "In tonight's demonstration, they tore up about 100 Ettela'at newspapers to show their protest.
[2] Students who had halted classes gathered outside the Khan Seminary and marched to the houses of religious leaders, chanting slogans in favor of Imam Khomeini along the way.
[7] The demonstrations turned violent when someone threw stones, breaking the window of a nearby bank, which resulted in the security forces using live ammunition on the crowd.
[10] Religious and secular opposition organizations were galvanized into action against the Shah in response to the article and the violent persecution of Khomeini's supporters.
[9] High-ranking scholars in Qom released a statement describing the Shah's government as "anti-Islamic and illegitimate" and announced public mourning for the dead.