Students across Iran’s universities have taken to the streets in large-scale protests, marking the first major wave of demonstrations since last month’s deadly crackdown. The rallies, held on Saturday in Tehran and several other cities, commemorated those who lost their lives during the unrest.
Verified footage by the BBC shows hundreds of students marching peacefully at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, many carrying Iran’s national flag. Demonstrators chanted anti-government slogans, including “Death to the dictator,” directed at Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A pro-government counter-rally was also held in the same area, leading to scuffles between the two groups. Students at Shahid Beheshti University staged a sit-in, while similar protests were reported at Amir Kabir University of Technology. In Mashhad, the country’s second-largest city in the northeast, students shouted slogans such as “Freedom, freedom” and “Stand up for your rights.” Additional demonstrations were reported in other locations throughout the day, with calls for a larger gathering on Sunday. There have been no confirmed reports of arrests so far.
These student-led protests honor the thousands of victims of demonstrations that began in January. The unrest initially started over economic grievances but quickly escalated into widespread anti-government demonstrations—the largest seen in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reports that at least 6,159 people have been killed in the crackdown, including 5,804 protesters, 92 children, and 214 government-affiliated individuals. HRANA is investigating reports of an additional 17,000 deaths. Iranian authorities, meanwhile, claim that more than 3,100 people have died, most of whom were security personnel or civilians targeted in attacks by rioters.
Sources: BBC, Al Jazeera, CNN.