Iran: Tehran students protest against paramilitary forces

Iran Focus:

“Artillery, Tanks, Machine guns are no longer effective”, students in Tehran’s Amir Kabir University chanted, during a gathering yesterday against the presence of paramilitary Bassij forces on campus.

One student leader speaking at the podium said that the Bassij were interfering in the way the university was being run. READ MORE

“The Bassij organise programs against us students and they yell, ‘death to Monafeq’ (hypocrite) at us. Hypocrites are those who throw away the well-being of the people to pocket some cash for themselves”, he said.

“This tribune is where we make our demands peacefully for the final time. They better listen to our call”, he shouted to a cheering flock of fellow students.

Another student added, “Our association represents the students in the university and we will not come short of our demand. These military and paramilitary forces must leave the university. They have no place here. They are just here to make sure that no says anything out of place. But their threats are no match for our resistance”.

Following a number of other speeches, the protestors promptly marched towards the offices of the Bassij inside the university, chanting, “Bassijis get out, free the university”.

Within several minutes, the Bassij who were greatly outnumbered could be heard shouting threats from within their office. In an apparent response, the students started to chant “Guns, Tanks, the Bassij are no longer effective”.

One older female student said, “They don’t dare come out because we are too many”.

Holding a large white banner near the university dean’s office, a group of students repeatedly stated, “Even if marshal law is declared in the university, we will defend our right to freedom as our highest goal”.

A number of other students could be seen gathering new recruits. “The fact that the university is being run by military and paramilitary forces should not make students empty the stage”, one such recruiter said.

“They should not expel us from the university because of un-Islamic behaviour. We don’t buy their version of Islam. Islam is about mercy and compassion”, 22-year-old Hamid said.

“At present, it is our duty to defend ourselves shoulder to shoulder”, he added.

See photos of the event here.