A student-led protest in solidarity with the people of Iran is happening this weekend

On Saturday the 19th of November, a student-organised protest will take place in response to a global rally. This will be in solidarity with the people of Iran currently protesting.

Meeting at Kelvin Way (near Mactassos) at 10.30am, the community will march together to Glasgow Green. The rally has been organised in collaboration with students from the Universities of Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Strathclyde and Glasgow Caledonian and non-student Iranian communities throughout Scotland.

The rally follows the murder of Mahsa Amini who was detained in Iran for wearing an “improper hijab” and died in police custody. Since then, there have been reports of more than 300 people dying due to this unrest, including children as young as seven years old. There are also accounts of the government restricting hospital treatment of protestors shot on the picket line.

On Monday, the BBC reported that Iran has issued the first death sentence for a person arrested from these protests, with at least 20 people facing similar fates.

Sara, an Iranian student studying medicine at the University of Glasgow, is President of Healthcare Students Against Racism. They collaborated with the University of Aberdeen Iranian Society to help organise this rally. In a statement to The Tab, Sara said:

“It has been touching to see the global response thus far to the protests happening in Iran, however, I believe it is very crucial to keep the momentum going and not let the voices of the protestors become silenced. I strongly believe that the UN and the Scottish Government ought to confirm their opposition to the brutality of the regime as well as show their support to protestors in Iran and Scottish Iranians in their fight for basic human rights.

“Furthermore, I would like to urge the people of Scotland to keep raising awareness of current affairs and to attend protests such as the global rally on Saturday. Thank you for your support.”

It is expected that at least 1000-1500 people will attend the march on Saturday. All those who wish to stand in solidarity with the people of Iran are encouraged to attend and the organisers encourage attendees to weather appropriate clothes. If you would like to get further involved, they are asking protesters to print and bring pictures of victims of this movement to raise awareness about their heroism.

Kelvin Way, where the march will set off from.

Organisers of the event have commented on the upcoming march, stating:

“This is the biggest gathering of Iranians in Scotland and it is organised by a number of non-student-led organisations such as the Iranian Scottish Association in collaboration with us as representatives of students.

“We would like to encourage everybody to join us this Saturday to show that we are standing in Solidarity with the brave people of Iran who are fighting for the right to live in a free and democratic Iran.”

A UofG spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened by the recent events in Iran, where nationwide protests have led to many deaths, arrests and communication shutdowns in the region.

“We want to extend our support for our Iranian community during such difficult times. The University has a range of support available for people who might be directly affected, or have family or friends caught up in these tragic events.”

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