Protest Against the Mass Arrests of Socialist Students at Tehran’s Universities
Friends, Students, the Iranian Nation:
The boots of dictatorship cast a heavy shadow on Iranian universities. Even as previously arrested students from Amir Kabir and other Tehran universities endure the most extreme mental and physical tortures, a new round of mass arrests of socialist students at Tehran’s universities is being reported.
On Tuesday December 4, just a few days prior to a “Student Day” rally sponsored by socialist students at Tehran University, state security forces arrested over 25 Left activists and pivotal figures of this movement at Tehran University. The slogan of the rally was to be “No To War. The University Is Not a Military Base.” These clashes even spread to the University of Mazandaran [Near the Caspian Sea]. Despite all these pressures and the continuation of the arrests, students at Tehran University were able to hold their rally under extreme police presence.
The crackdown on student activists and the extensive suppression of socialist students in the past few days indicate important points. A cursory look at the history of student political activism in the last three decades shows that since the so called Cultural Revolution of 1981 and the elimination of all opposition voices at the universities, and after the overcoming of the deep- freeze by the mid 1990s, and the experiences of the past few years, this is the first time that a movement has risen up that is completely independent of state institutions. This movement is projecting its call for freedom and equality with perseverance at the university.
In the not so distant past, student movements hoped for support from certain layers of the rulers or half-heartedly hoped for foreign intervention. But now the movement that is taking shape at the university is not contaminated by any of the above mentioned views. That is because, it cannot tolerate imperialist plunder and also challenges the totality of native state institutions.
If we look back and review the experience of suppression of students in the early 1990s and early 2000s (such as the bitter events of July 1999 and June 2003) we can become aware of the precise consciousness of the current movement and its understanding of the necessity for independence from any power institution (be it the rulers or the critics within the government). It is clear that the most important reason for the suppression of this forward looking movement is this definition of its attitude to political deals and its refusal to be used as a means. Furthermore the link that this movement has established with other social movements (workers’ movement, women’s movement . . .) is a fine point that should not be overlooked. Much more remains to be said about this which needs more space than the current statement.
As a group of students from the Azad University of Tabriz, we support the completely independent student movements and the need for independence of each movement. We also express our strong opposition to the latest attacks on students at Tehran’s universities. We are also very sad to see the deliberate silence of many political activists and the news boycott concerning the suppression of socialist students. In expressing our support for the imprisoned students, we strongly demand the unconditional release of all the arrested students.
Unity Center, A Student-Political Organization December 5, 2007
www.kanoonevahdat.ir/page/en.aspx
The boots of dictatorship cast a heavy shadow on Iranian universities. Even as previously arrested students from Amir Kabir and other Tehran universities endure the most extreme mental and physical tortures, a new round of mass arrests of socialist students at Tehran’s universities is being reported.
On Tuesday December 4, just a few days prior to a “Student Day” rally sponsored by socialist students at Tehran University, state security forces arrested over 25 Left activists and pivotal figures of this movement at Tehran University. The slogan of the rally was to be “No To War. The University Is Not a Military Base.” These clashes even spread to the University of Mazandaran [Near the Caspian Sea]. Despite all these pressures and the continuation of the arrests, students at Tehran University were able to hold their rally under extreme police presence.
The crackdown on student activists and the extensive suppression of socialist students in the past few days indicate important points. A cursory look at the history of student political activism in the last three decades shows that since the so called Cultural Revolution of 1981 and the elimination of all opposition voices at the universities, and after the overcoming of the deep- freeze by the mid 1990s, and the experiences of the past few years, this is the first time that a movement has risen up that is completely independent of state institutions. This movement is projecting its call for freedom and equality with perseverance at the university.
In the not so distant past, student movements hoped for support from certain layers of the rulers or half-heartedly hoped for foreign intervention. But now the movement that is taking shape at the university is not contaminated by any of the above mentioned views. That is because, it cannot tolerate imperialist plunder and also challenges the totality of native state institutions.
If we look back and review the experience of suppression of students in the early 1990s and early 2000s (such as the bitter events of July 1999 and June 2003) we can become aware of the precise consciousness of the current movement and its understanding of the necessity for independence from any power institution (be it the rulers or the critics within the government). It is clear that the most important reason for the suppression of this forward looking movement is this definition of its attitude to political deals and its refusal to be used as a means. Furthermore the link that this movement has established with other social movements (workers’ movement, women’s movement . . .) is a fine point that should not be overlooked. Much more remains to be said about this which needs more space than the current statement.
As a group of students from the Azad University of Tabriz, we support the completely independent student movements and the need for independence of each movement. We also express our strong opposition to the latest attacks on students at Tehran’s universities. We are also very sad to see the deliberate silence of many political activists and the news boycott concerning the suppression of socialist students. In expressing our support for the imprisoned students, we strongly demand the unconditional release of all the arrested students.
Unity Center, A Student-Political Organization December 5, 2007
www.kanoonevahdat.ir/page/en.aspx
