On the first day of the reopening of universities, students at Sharif University of Technology and Amirkabir University of Technology held protest gatherings, turning these two major higher education centers into scenes of protest against the ruling establishment. The gatherings began with chants of “Death to Khamenei”—referring to regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei—and “Death to the dictator,” and at Sharif University escalated into clashes between students and Basij forces, the paramilitary force affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
According to reports published by student sources, from the early hours of Saturday, February 21, a group of students at Sharif University of Technology gathered on campus. They voiced their protest against political conditions and ongoing repression by chanting slogans such as “So many years of crimes, death to the mullahs’ rule,” “We did not give martyrs to compromise, nor to praise a murderous leader,” and “Death to the dictator.” The chant “Freedom, freedom, freedom” was also repeatedly heard among the crowd.
Fortieth-Day Memorials in Iran Turned into Nationwide Protests
As the gathering continued, Basij forces entered the campus to disperse the students. This move was met with resistance from the students and led to verbal and physical confrontations. In response to the presence of these forces, protesting students chanted “shame on you, shame on you.” Reports indicate that the atmosphere at the university remained tense for several hours.
At the same time, students at Amirkabir University of Technology also held a protest gathering, chanting slogans against the regime as a whole. Among the slogans heard at this university were “This is the final message, the target is the entire regime,” “This year is the year of blood, Seyed Ali (Khamenei) will be overthrown “and “This fallen flower has become a gift to the homeland,” a slogan often used to honor those killed in protests. Students also emphasized the continuation of protests and their opposition to the current situation.
In another part of the gathering at Sharif University, slogans such as “We will not have a country until the mullahs are buried” and “We fight, we die, we will take back Iran” were chanted. Images published on social media also show a large student presence and a protest atmosphere on the campuses of these universities.
These events come at a time when universities in recent years have repeatedly become centers of student protests. The gatherings on Saturday demonstrate that despite the heavy security atmosphere and the presence of Basij forces, student protests continue, and universities have once again become arenas for raising political and social demands.
