A Heart-Warming Display of Solidarity: UCL Students Protest to Support Iranians
Photo Courtesy: UCL Students’ Socialist Alternative
‘I actually felt proud for a moment. It was good to see people who actually care, and people actually show up and take the time.’
On Monday 17th October multiple students gathered on the main quad to display solidarity with the events currently unfolding in Iran, in a protest organized by the Student Socialist Alternative.
The death of Jina (Mahsa) Amini, a girl of Kurdish origin, on 16th September 2022, after she had been arrested and beaten by the police for not wearing her hijab strictly, has represented a turning point for many people. Protests are spreading all around the country, despite the “lethal repression” of the Ayatollah’s regime.
Such political and social turmoil is impacting Iranian students at UCL, particularly those who still have family and friends in Iran. “My really close friends are getting arrested in Iran and I felt helpless”, said a UCL Iranian undergraduate who took part in the protest.
UCL has been very slow to provide support for those impacted by the recent events in Iran, reacting almost a month after the beginning of the protests: “The support available for Iranian students is offered by the Student Union, however, the University itself is yet to pass a solidarity motion or any kind of statement. “So, that’s kind of disheartening”, the student added.
The protest was thus a way for protestors to support the joint struggle of women and workers, but also to mark their solidarity with those impacted by the events. It started with the speeches of UCL Iranian students and members of the socialist alternative and was then followed by chants such as ‘Women, life, freedom’ or ‘Death to the dictatorship’.
These were led by two Iranian students whose masks and caps made them unidentifiable, highlighting the pressure and stress Iranians face even outside their country. The protest ended with an open mic, where students and protestors came to express their solidarity and the joint struggle they face.
“This felt really good”, one student said, “I really needed to raise awareness and even if one person started caring more after yesterday’s protest it would mean a lot.”
Other events like talks and protests are to be expected in the following weeks, for any of those who wish to display solidarity or think of what can be done to help.
(Because of the brutality of the regime, the student interviewed wished to remain anonymous as she has family in Iran)