Police crackdown on student protest at university in Iran

Univeristy students in Tehran ran from police as anti-government protests in Iran continue. These protests were in response to the arrest and subsequent death of Mahsa Amini, arrested under the pretence of a failure to adhere to religious dress codes in the region. Since the protests began, 155 people have died, according to NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR). There have been 20,000 arrests in total.

University students in Tehran staged a large protest on 2 October, more than two weeks after protests began in the region. This demonstration saw the appearance of large cohorts of security forces herding the gathering of 200 protesters away, along with shots fired. In addition, slogans amongst students relating to ‘democracy’ and calls unsupportive of the current government, along with Iran’s isolationist policies and tense relationship with other nations, and belief these have cultivated poor economic growth.

In response to the protests, Sharif University decided to close its classrooms, advising other educational institutions to do the same. Strikes and many closures across the country have been a common sight throughout the protests.

The Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s University, Canada, Patrick Deane, criticised the Iranian forces’ violence and oppressive nature, arguing that “brave citizens” are challenging “sexism, inequality, violence and abuse.” Furthermore, he argued that “we must stand up for equality, justice, and an end to intolerance.”

Iran has suffered economic hardship nationally, with one US Dollar equating to 42,300 Iranian Rials and increasing poverty, with more than 20 million living below the poverty line and numbers increasing year on year.

Dissociation from the government has built up in the minds of Iranian citizens, and a relationship with the west built through the internet and global media. This has been currently censored by the Iranian government in response to these protests through multiple online blackouts.

For weeks, cars set ablaze could be witnessed in the city centre accompanied by protesters. Smoke and gunshots alongside tear gas have been seen across the country, mimicking the scenes in Tehran.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of Iran blamed protests on foreign influence and social media, stating that the protests were “planned.”

Moreover, the Governor of Tehran Mohsen Mansouri threatened that “action will be taken against celebrities who have fanned the flames of the riots.”