Students in Tehran protested against the hijab and tuition fees — Jerusalem Post

Students at Allameh Tabataba’i University in Tehran, Iran, began a protest on September 28 against mandatory hijab wearing, tuition fees and a lack of social services. The Jerusalem Post reports, citing video footage from the scene.

Protesters’ demands

Near the university mosque, students chanted slogans against tyranny, mandatory hijab and the morality police. They also said that the authorities were using force despite their statements about dialogue.

According to the independent student media platform Amirkabir, representatives of the Basij paramilitary force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps gathered the protesters ostensibly to discuss their complaints. Later, according to the platform, they threatened to put the students in a “goni” — a sack. Student platforms viewed these words as a threat of violence.

Among the protesters’ grievances were rising costs for evening study programs and for students who exceeded the standard period of study, as well as problems with food in dormitories and student cafeterias.

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Restrictions at other universities

At Al-Zahra Women’s University in Tehran, 165 female students were barred from entering the campus, although disciplinary proceedings against many of them had not yet been completed. Some students said they learned about the ban only after arriving at the university and had received no prior written notification.

Students at Lorestan University and Razi University also announced a boycott of university cafeterias over price increases and worsening food quality, Amirkabir reported. Lorestan University President Mehrdad Dadistani told IRNA that the rise in food costs was linked to inflation and added that the administration was holding meetings with contractors regarding food quality.

In January, Iranian security forces violently suppressed protests against the country’s economic situation and authorities. Human rights groups estimated that more than 30,000 protesters were killed.