Iranian Students Return to the Streets as Protests Reignite a Month After Bloody Crackdown

With the start of the new academic term in Iran, student demonstrations have resumed, reigniting anti-government protests that had been subdued by a bloody government crackdown, Financial News reported.
According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and Agence France-Presse (AFP) on the 21st (local time), the first day of the new semester saw rallies, marches and sit-ins on major university campuses in Tehran. Students commemorated those killed in the protests and condemned the security forces.
At Sharif University of Technology, one of Iran’s leading engineering schools, student protesters chanted slogans denouncing the country’s supreme leader, Ali Hosseini Khamenei.
The protest turned violent when students clashed with members of the Basij militia outside the campus. The Basij militia is a paramilitary force under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and was deployed to help suppress last month’s anti-government demonstrations.
Fars News Agency, which is semi-official, reported that people were injured as the two sides scuffled.
Anti-government voices are also erupting at memorial services for those killed in the protests.
In Iran, memorials held on the 40th day after death are usually solemn religious ceremonies. This time, however, mourners for protest victims danced and sang around the graves, turning the gatherings into a new form of protest.
In the village of Rafmejan in Gilan Province, crowds gathered in front of a mosque to honor a young man who died after taking part in the protests. They shouted, "When one person dies, a thousand will stand behind him."
The protests now reigniting on university campuses are a continuation of the large-scale anti-government movement that began in December last year in response to Iran’s prolonged economic crisis.
The United States of America (US), which backed the protesters, has warned it will consider military action if nuclear talks with Iran fail. It has also increased pressure by deploying additional aircraft carriers and fighter aircraft to the Middle East.
whywani@fnnews.com Hong Chae-wan Reporter