Iranian university students have the right to protest, but everyone must “understand the red lines”, an Iranian government spokeswoman said on Tuesday in the first official response to university student demonstrations. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP agency.
In short:
- Iranian students can protest, but they must respect the red lines
- Protests were held at universities in Tehran
“Sacred things and the flag are two examples of these red lines that we must protect and not cross or deviate from, even in the greatest anger,” said a spokeswoman for the government of the Islamic Republic.
Protests at universities
According to her, the Iranian students have “wounds in their hearts and have seen things that could upset them and make them angry” and this anger is understandable.
University students on Saturday started the new semester with pro- and anti-government rallies to commemorate the victims of brutally suppressed mass protests in early January.
Tense atmosphere in Tehran
Iran’s Fars news agency reported that the atmosphere at at least three universities in Tehran was “tense”. Some students waved a monarchist flag and chanted “long live the Shah”, referring to the monarchy in the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Fars added that the students had planned a “quiet and peaceful protest” on Saturday in memory of those killed during the January protests, but it was disrupted by people chanting slogans such as “death to the dictator”, referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to AFP. Some shouted “death to the Shah”.
Cause of protests and victims of violence
At the end of December, protests broke out in Tehran against the economic situation in the country. They subsequently spread across the country, being at their most powerful between 2022 and 2023, when people protested the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Aminí in custody. The authorities detained her for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women.
Iranian security forces have violently repressed the latest protests, and according to the American NGO HRANA, more than 7,000 people have lost their lives. However, she added that the total number of victims is probably higher, reports AFP.
Investigation into the causes of the protests
Iranian officials say 3,000 people died. According to them, the violence was caused by “terrorist acts” supported by the United States and Israel.
A government spokeswoman said on Tuesday that they were investigating the “causes and factors” of the protests and would issue a report.
