December 4 2007: Student protests
On the 4th of Dec 2007, over 700 leftist students demonstrated in Teheran University with the slogans:
- No to imperialist war, death to dictator
- The University is not an army garrison
- Hands Off the People of Iran
- No to criminal imperialist intervention
- Equality, Democracy, Boycott the elections (reference to Islamic parliamentary elections in March 2008)
Over the last two days a total of 42 students have been arrested and the demonstrators called for the immediate release of these prisoners. Students in five major universities (Tehran University, Bahomar University Shiraz, Ferdowssi University- Mashad and Mazandaran University) had used a single poster ‘Hands Off the People of Iran ‘ for their simultaneous protests.
In Tehran University, a message of solidarity by Communist students (an affiliate of HOPI) was read out in Farsi:
 "To our brothers and sisters in Iran,
We wish to send our greetings of solidarity to your December 4 student demonstration. Your brave struggles and protests in the face of threats, intimidation and arrests are an inspiration to us all, and underline how it is you that are our natural allies in the struggle against imperialism, sanctions and war, not the Iranian theocracy.
Unlike some on the British 'left' who deny the existence of movements like yours against imperialist war and against theocracy, we will continue to support your struggles and call for the release of incarcerated students and other political activists in Iran. We will continue to build links with your movements and look in the future to co-ordinate international actions and protests with you.
We hope that your day of action is successful in getting your message across to the world in these increasingly unstable times. Rest assured that we will do our utmost in the fight against imperialism and provide our full support to your political demonstrations.
Yours against war and repression in Iran, and in the struggle for socialism,
Communist Students National Executive (an affiliate of the Hands Off The People Of Iran campaign)
www.communiststudents.org.uk
www.hopoi.org
Picture gallery (from http://www.photoblog.com/zohrepix)
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