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.”

  • Riverside@reddthat.com
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    2 days ago

    Oh, it’s tankies controlling social media feeds, thats why I’m literally reacting on .world to this post with 650 upvotes by an account that literally only reposts western propaganda

    • wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz
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      2 days ago

      I didn’t say they control all the social media feeds, but if your social media feeds are mostly tankie content then you’re not gonna see the stuff they aren’t posting.

      The guardian isn’t western propaganda, ffs. It’s independent journalism. You’re here peddling pro-mullah propaganda, because the facts are the regime murdered thousands of protesters in the span of a couple weeks and you’re trying to say “nuh uh, western lies!”

      • Riverside@reddthat.com
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        1 day ago

        God forbid there is 1 space in my life not plastered with western imperialist propaganda

        • wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz
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          23 hours ago

          If you’re going out of your way to avoid any information that conflicts with your preferred narrative, don’t act like contrary evidence doesn’t exist just because you haven’t seen it.

          • Riverside@reddthat.com
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            22 hours ago

            Hey I’m the one with both Hexbear and Reddthat accounts, not dodging anything. I’m just calling atrocity propaganda in the eve of invasion by its name.

            • wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz
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              21 hours ago

              The protests and their coverage started before the US admin leapt on it as an opportunity to justify military action. You’re discounting a people’s movement against an authoritarian regime just because some other authoritarian regime is trying to use them opportunistically.