As details of the death toll for January’s protests continue to emerge, three students explain why they are resisting a return to normality
More than 45 days after a brutal January crackdown that left thousands of Iranian protesters dead, students across several universities are protesting again. As Iran’s new academic term began on Saturday, students in Tehran gathered on campus, chanting anti-government slogans, despite a heavy security presence and plainclothes officers stationed outside university gates.
The Guardian spoke to protesting students about why they were rallying despite the fact that thousands had been killed and tens of thousands arrested in the January demonstrations.
“Our classrooms are empty because the graveyards are full,” said Hossein*, 21, a student at the University of Tehran. “It’s for them – our friends, classmates and compatriots, who were gunned down in front of our eyes, that we decided to boycott the classes.”
The coverage isn’t sudden, it’s been there since the start of the protests. You just haven’t been paying attention to it because it would force you to reevaluate your opinion. The media coverage was there in 2021/2022 during that movement too, but you probably weren’t paying attention then either.
I’m not doing any of that
The current Iranian regime doesn’t have the right to do those things to its people either
This is an article about the Iranian people rising up against their regime, and you’re bitching about it because why exactly? Cause you hate the west so you lick IRGC boots?
I don’t support trump or maga. In fact I viscerally hate them. How about you stop projecting and do the world a favor and stop voicing your excuses for supporting a militant right-wing theocratic dictatorship that’s actively massacring its people?
I’m not committing any genocides. Never have and never will.
“Fascist lib” is an oxymoron. If you ask an actual fascist, they’ll say liberals are the devil. And liberals rightfully hate fascists too.
Oh by the way, I’m more of a leftist anyway. I know you’re not capable of comprehending this, but some leftists are actually capable of critical thinking and arriving at a well-reasoned opinion based on contextual nuance and complexity instead of simply falling for ideological campism, purity tests, and sports-team-like black-and-white thinking.
Good, I hope you rupture your stomach and turn yourself inside out. You’ll be able to think more clearly in a coma.
yadda yadda yadda let’s kill iranians because trump and the mainstream media told me so
I never fucking said that, but since it’s the Iranian regime that’s killing Iranians and you seem to be supporting the regime, then I guess that comment is just projection…
you are dancing around it, just making sure you know what this sort of media campaign is for.
You’re the one dancing. I don’t need to.
if you don’t need to why won’t you stop