{"id":343056,"date":"2026-02-26T19:11:43","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T18:11:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=343056"},"modified":"2026-02-26T19:11:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T18:11:43","slug":"the-university-as-battleground-irans-resilient-student-uprising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-protests\/the-university-as-battleground-irans-resilient-student-uprising\/","title":{"rendered":"The University as Battleground: Iran\u2019s Resilient Student Uprising"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Tehran
Tehran University, February 22, 2026 \u2014 \u201cThe blood that is shed cannot be washed away,\u201d protesters chant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three-minute read<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Iranian regime\u2019s attempt to project an image of “normalization” following a period of brutal suppression has\u00a0encountered\u00a0a formidable obstacle: the university campus. Long before the current flames of dissent took hold, the state\u00a0demonstrated\u00a0its acute fear of academic spaces as hubs for the two greatest threats to its survival\u2014intellectual awareness and organized mobilization. In late December, under the pretext of a flu outbreak and severe cold, the authorities abruptly shuttered universities<\/a> and transitioned to online classes. This was a calculated preemptive strike, designed to fragment the student body before the planned hike in fuel prices could trigger the inevitable explosion of public fury.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite these efforts to isolate the youth, the regime\u2019s management strategy failed as students took to the streets in massive numbers, becoming the backbone of the January uprisings. Following a\u00a0subsequent\u00a0period of internet blackouts and lethal crackdowns<\/a>, the leadership\u00a0attempted\u00a0a more insidious form of control. By reopening campuses and announcing state-sponsored memorials for those they labeled “victims of riots,” the authorities\u00a0sought\u00a0to co-opt the very blood they had spilled. <\/span><\/p>\n

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February 22\u2014Tehran, Iran
Students rallied to commemorate martyrs of the uprising. In their slogans, they rejected both the mullahs' and shah regimes:
"Down with the oppressor, be it the shah or the supreme leader"
"Neither monarchy, nor the mullahs' rule, yes to democracy and\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/tHmiUW1gE8<\/a><\/p>\n

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) February 22, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n