Iranian students protest compulsory hijab, university costs as campus unrest returns

 

Iranian university students protested against compulsory hijab and worsening economic conditions, with Basij forces accused of threatening demonstrators during the campus gathering.

Students at Tehran’s Allameh Tabataba’i University, a large public university specializing in the social sciences, began protesting on Monday against compulsory hijab, university fees, and a lack of welfare services for students, according to footage of the protest.

The students were recorded chanting, “Death to tyranny, hijab, and the morality police” and “The regime’s slogan is dialogue, but their guns are aimed at us” outside the university’s mosque.

The Basij gathered the protesting students under the guise of listening to their complaints, but they went on to threaten to put them in a goni (“sack”), according to the student-run independent media platform Amirkabir.

The Basij’s comment was largely interpreted as a threat of violence, according to Iranian student platforms. In January, the regime’s security forces carried out a devastating crackdown on protesters demonstrating against the country’s economic conditions and the regime, killing large numbers of protesters. Human rights groups have estimated that more than 30,000 protesters were killed.

The students reportedly raised concerns over increased tuition fees for night programs and for students who have exceeded the standard period of study, the provision of food in dormitories and food services, and compulsory hijab.