Students in Tehran rally to support Gaza solidarity demos in US
Students and staff of Tehran University have held a rally in support of growing protests on US campuses where students have erected encampments to demand action to end Israel’s war on Gaza.
Chanting “death to America, “death to Israel” and “death to England”, the demonstrators on Saturday condemned violent US police attacks on students.
The rally was a show “support for the awakening consciences of the American and European academic community in denouncing violence against and killing of the oppressed Palestinian people by the fake Israeli regime and America’s support for the child-killing regime,” IRNA reported.
Student protests in the US over the Israeli war on Gaza have intensified and expanded over the past week after police first arrested students at Columbia.
Gaza solidarity encampments have been established at colleges, including Yale, and New York University. Police have been called in to several campuses to arrest hundreds of student demonstrators.
The protests have been peaceful and largely respectful, but have been met by heavy-handed action from authorities and police. Hundreds of police officers have raided the campuses, some on horseback. Holding batons, they have charged at the crowds and forcefully arrested many students.
On campuses where protests have broken out, students have issued calls for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, an end to US military assistance for Israel, university divestment from arms suppliers and other companies profiting from the war, and amnesty for students and faculty members who have been disciplined or fired for protesting.
US President Joe Biden has characterized the revolt as “antisemitic protests”.
