Student Movements in Iran and America
The student movements in Iran and America have become a topic of international reaction following university protests in the U.S. in response to Israel’s widespread attacks on Gaza, which are referred to as genocide, and the way American forces have dealt with university protesters, as depicted in released images.
In addition to protests in support of the people of Gaza, which are witnessed in some universities worldwide by students and academics, movements are currently forming in support of student movements and protesting government violence against protesters.
Following these events, numerous comments have been made in Iran, especially after reports emerged of harsh treatment at Columbia University and the arrest of a philosophy professor.
For instance, Mohammad Ali Zolfi Gol, the Minister of Science, Research, and Technology of the Thirteenth Government, wrote in a post, ‘When freedom is trampled upon in universities and supporting the oppressed is considered a crime, we take pride in the dignity of our universities and academics in our dear Islamic Iran.’
Zohreh Elahian, a member of the Eleventh Parliament, tweeted, ‘The ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ slogan that America prescribed for us yesterday can now be seen in American universities. The brutal behavior towards that female student and the arrest of that female professor were because they protested against the regime’s crimes against the women of Gaza.’
Ahmad Naderi, another parliament member, wrote on Twitter, ‘The handcuffs on the hands of the Columbia University philosophy professor are a symbol of systematic repression in the West, which is, of course, applied in a very complex and hidden manner. Now, the veil of secrecy has fallen, and the drum of its scandal is sounding.’
Mehdi Bagheri, another parliament member, told ISNA news agency, ‘Our people should know how different Iran is from a country like America, which considers itself the cradle of freedom. In our country, the behavior towards protesters is very kind, but the American government, when its people protest against actions of an oppressive regime like Israel, is willing to put pressure on its own people, harm them, and even enter universities and treat academics harshly. These events indicate the decline of their government and the rise of governance in our country. In our country, those who protest, even if they err in their behavior, are treated with compassion.’
We will continue with a review of the fate of the most important student movements in Iran and America to compare the protests and the responses governments have had to student protests and movements. It is necessary to note that there have been many student movements, and only some will be mentioned.
The U.S. and Student Movements
The Butter Rebellion of 1766 was the first recorded protest in American university history. Economic problems over a decade in America made it difficult to obtain food. In this situation, food given to students contained butter with a sour taste, leading students to protest on campus, continuing for a month.
Eventually, the university admitted to giving students spoiled butter, but the matter ended with a speech by the governor of Massachusetts to the students, calming them down.
Fisk University Protests of 1924: In 1924, President Fayette McKenzie imposed strict regulations, including shutting down student publications and canceling all extracurricular activities.
In June, W. E. B. Du Bois, an American sociologist whose daughter attended the university, went to Fisk to give a speech criticizing McKenzie’s rules. This led to increased criticism of his administration in the press throughout the summer.
In November, when the board of trustees visited the university, students held protests that led the board to ask McKenzie to reconsider his methods. He initially agreed but later reverted to his previous stance.
In March, protests at the university peaked, with students demanding change. McKenzie called for police to identify protest leaders. Eighty police officers entered the university and began questioning, resulting in some arrests, but they were quickly released.
Following this, students boycotted classes and stayed home for eight weeks, leading to a two-month university closure, ultimately resulting in McKenzie’s resignation.
The Free Speech Movement of 1964: In 1958, students at the University of California, Berkeley, decided to activate political parties on campus to promote students’ rights in American political parties through their campus connections.
In September 1964, the university president issued a directive banning any defense of political issues on campus and prohibiting external political figures from speaking on campus.
Following this directive, student protests began at the university. The ongoing protests led to the arrest of about 800 students on December 4, 1964, but they were all released a few hours later. A month later, the university charged students who organized sit-ins, leading to widespread student protests across the U.S. and university closures.
This continued until the new university president was forced to backtrack on the previous directive, allowing political activities in certain areas on campus. One of the significant actions students took was forming a committee opposing the Vietnam War.
The Anti-Vietnam War Movement of 1967: In April 1967, when students realized Columbia University had ties with government agencies supporting U.S. involvement in Vietnam, protests began, peaking in March 1968.
Initially, they planned to gather in the university library, but after being prevented, they moved towards the under-construction Columbia stadium, where police blocked their entry, leading students back to the campus grounds.
By the end of April, police violently entered the protests, injuring several students, but ultimately, university policies were adjusted to meet protesters’ demands, and the university’s ties with the U.S. military were severed.
The Third World Liberation Front Strikes of 1968: Eurocentric education and neglect of ethnic studies, along with disrespect towards people of color and the dismissal of a black professor at Berkeley, led to one of the longest university protests in U.S. history, starting in early November 1968. The protest lasted over four months and concluded in March 1969. A significant event occurred in February 1969 when 13 students were arrested.
As a result, a nationwide strike began at U.S. universities, with professors joining students. This led to California Governor Ronald Reagan declaring a state of emergency and banning university protests.
Consequently, students took to the streets, and clashes with police intensified. However, eventually, the Berkeley university president gave in to students’ demands and, in March, ordered the establishment of the first ethnic studies department at the university.
The Deaf President Now Movement of 1988: Gallaudet University, the oldest university for deaf students, announced in March 1988 that the board of trustees had selected a hearing person as the new university president, sparking protests and a strike starting on the sixth of that month.
Protesters gathered on campus, demanding the resignation of the new president and the board chair. The protests and strike continued for eight days, ultimately leading to the resignation of both the new president and the board chair.
The Walkout Movement of 2006: Strict laws regarding immigration control and border protection led to a protest in Los Angeles starting on March 24, 2006. University students in Los Angeles, mostly immigrant students, joined together and took to the streets. By March 27, 24,000 students at risk of dropping out left the university and held a protest in the city with over 40,000 students participating, leading to university closures in the city and ultimately halting the proposed law.
The 2009 Tuition Hike Protests: New financial policies, including tuition increases and staff layoffs at the University of California, led to a protest from September 2009 to March 2010. The protests began in September 9, with students and faculty occupying parts of the university.
Some students occupied buildings, while others supported them outside, leading to police intervention and student arrests. However, in 2010, the university announced it would abandon its financial policy, and tuition would remain fixed for three years.
The Irvine 11 Controversy of 2010: The first controversy surrounding Israel in an American university setting occurred when the University of California planned a speech for the Israeli ambassador. Some students decided to disrupt his speech.
The Israeli ambassador arrived at the university and began speaking, but some students interrupted him with statements opposing Israel, leading to their arrest and a trial for disrupting the speech. The trial in September 2021 sentenced 20 students to a suspended three-year prison term and 56 hours of community service.
The Blackburn Takeover of 2021: This movement at Harvard University protested poor student dormitory conditions. Starting on October 12, 2021, protesting students set up tents on campus and continued their strike and protest for 33 days until an agreement was reached after several days of negotiations between university administrators and student representatives. The university agreed to quickly improve dormitory conditions and meet students’ health-related demands.
The Gaza War of 2024: The latest and most recent student movement in America, considered one of the largest widespread student movements in the country’s history, revolves around the ongoing war in Gaza. This student protest began on April 17, 2024, at Columbia University in New York City.
The protesting students demanded their university cut ties with Israel. The wave of this protest spread from April 22 to other American universities, including those in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, and many other cities, with the latest instance being the extension of protests to Canada.
The protests have currently faced some harsh responses from the police, but the results of the students’ demands and the ultimate response to them remain to be seen over time.
Iran and the Student Movements of December 7 and Nixon’s Visit in 1953: After the coup of August 19 and the dismissal of Mohammad Mossadegh, the atmosphere at the university was influenced by this event at the start of the new fall semester that year. Initially, on October 8, students at the University of Tehran held a peaceful protest in support of merchants on campus, but the main spark of protest was ignited when news came that U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon was scheduled to visit Iran and be present at the University of Tehran in December.
As a result, on December 7, the atmosphere at the University of Tehran became political. To prevent the protests from escalating, the government intervened and ordered military involvement, resulting in the deaths of three students and the arrest of several others.
The Bus Ticket Price Increase of 1969: The decision by the management of the Tehran City Bus Company to increase bus ticket prices led to a public protest that began on March 3, 1969. Initially, the protest was at the public level, but on the morning of March 4, students joined the movement and blocked buses in front of the university.
As a result, the military intervened, and clashes between students and military forces escalated in the streets, leading to student arrests. Following these clashes, then-Prime Minister Amir Abbas Hoveyda held a special cabinet meeting, deciding to revert prices to their previous state, and the detained students were released on March 9.
The Dormitory Incident of 1999: Much has been said and heard about the dormitory incident, considered the largest student protest from the beginning of the revolution until two decades later, and repeating many details would be redundant.
In summary, the incident began with student protests over the suspension of the Salam newspaper at the University of Tehran dormitory on July 8, 1999. Following this, and after the student protests turned violent, the wave of protests reached other universities. A trial for the perpetrators of the dormitory attack was held, but the heaviest sentence issued was for a soldier sentenced to 91 days in prison for stealing a razor.
It should not be forgotten that one of the biggest ambiguities of the dormitory incident, unresolved after 25 years, is the fate of Saeed Zeinali, a protesting student who disappeared on July 14, 1999, and remains missing.
During these protests, considering that the reformist government emphasized the sanctity of the university and opposed the entry of plainclothes and security forces to confront protesters, it stood alongside the sit-in and protesting students, pursuing the damages inflicted on the students.
The Burial of Unknown Martyrs at the University in 2006: In March 2006, rumors circulated that several unknown martyrs were to be buried on the Sharif University of Technology campus. Following these rumors, some students held a gathering on March 12, but despite the opposition, the burial ceremony was set to proceed.
On the day the burial ceremony was scheduled, opposing students moved towards the burial site, but their opposition was futile, and the burial took place.
The Zanjan University Sit-in of 2008: The incident began with a proposal made by the university’s deputy to a female student. He, who also chaired the disciplinary committee, had proposed a sexual relationship to one of the students.
Following this, students coordinated with the girl who claimed this and staged a scene, entering the deputy’s office and catching him before he could achieve his goal, handing him over to university security. Subsequently, nearly 3,000 students held a gathering on campus. Following this, the university president apologized to the students, and the deputy’s case was handed over to the judiciary, resulting in a sentence of 30 lashes for him.
Woman, Life, Freedom Movement of 2022: After the nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, universities also became part of these protests, witnessing tumultuous days in most university units during the fall of 2022. Much has been said about the days that passed through universities in the fall of 2022, and recounting all of them requires detailed reports.
For example, one of the most significant events was the incident surrounding Sharif University of Technology, where student protests and sit-ins on the night of October 2 faced attacks by plainclothes forces. From these student protests, disciplinary and judicial rulings were issued against some students.
Some students received suspension and exile sentences, and some university organizations, such as the Free-Thinker Student Association of Allameh University, had their licenses revoked, while others, like the Islamic Association of Sharif University of Technology, were suspended.
Final Note
This report provided a brief overview of the most important student movements in Iran and America, highlighting how student movements and responses to them have been handled in the two countries. However, mentioning two points is worthwhile.
1. In days when protests in America over Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip have peaked in the country’s academic environment, some political factions in Iran are advising the American government on calmness in dealing with protesters. However, it seems necessary to remind that in comparison and advice, one must consider that each country’s and society’s environment differs from another. Neither historically have the approaches of the Iranian and American governments towards students and student movements been the same, nor have the scale of events and responses been similar. Moreover, these internal advisors, as much as they invite foreign officials to tolerance and leniency with protesters, should abandon this double standard and also invite domestic officials to tolerance with their own protesting students and people, urging them to respect the sanctity of the university, something we’ve seen less from parliament members.
2. Violence in dealing with student protests in any form is undesirable, as evidenced by all the images broadcast from student protests in America, and no license for it at any level can be justified. Of course, it must not be forgotten that protests, especially university protests and widespread movements, occur when there is a conflict of interest between the ideals of the people and students and the governments, and governments should have the patience to deal with it.
From many perspectives, the comparison made is not valid, and neither the student movements in the two countries are comparable, nor are the laws and decisions against them. However, wherever in the world, dealing with protests, especially if peaceful and non-violent, should happen calmly and without violence and harsh measures. Therefore, there can never be a justification for harsh treatment of student movements.