In commemoration of the 11th anniversary of the students’ uprising in Iran

İRAN | 12 – 07 – 2010 | We are gathered here to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the students’ uprising in Iran on 9th July 1999, in which at least one student was killed and hundreds others were injured. During this heroic struggle, thousands of university students protesting against medieval policies of the Islamic regime, the students challenged the whole reactionary regime of Islamic republic.

In the ensuing savage suppression of the students’ movement, Khatami (the president of Islamic republic at the time) and other “reformers” joining Khamenei and other “hardliners” savagely attacking the militant students exposed their true nature in the eyes of the world. The criminal regime ordered a brutal clampdown in the universities and demanded the severest punishment for the students. More than 1500 students were arrested and many were given long prison sentences. Thus the July 9 uprising of the students unmasked the real nature of the “liberals” within the regime and exposed the fact that there is no difference between Khatami, Khamenei and other leaders of the reactionary regime.

The July 9 students uprising, in which thousands of the oppressed masses had joined, also demonstrated that in oppressed societies no matter how severe the spread of suppression and the rule of terror and repression, the reactionary regime in power can not stop the people from protesting and continuing their struggle, and can never hinder the revolutionary upsurge of the masses.

Following the coming to power of Mr. Ahmadinezhad, repression, terror and murder has continued unabated and the backward looking regime has continued violent attacks against the just struggles of workers, students, women and other oppressed sectors of society.

In June last year, following the sham presidential elections that reinstalled Mr Ahmadinezhad as president and the upsurge of mass protests against the whole regime of Islamic republic, repression has intensified even further and many have been arrested, tortured, imprisoned and killed. While, the “reformers” led by Mr Mousavi (the prime minister of the regime during the massacre of political prisoners in 1988, that led to the murder of 18,000 political prisoner) called for a recount of the votes claiming forgery in the election results and tried to pose as the leader of the opposition, the oppressed masses of Iran demanded the complete overthrow of the regime of Islamic republic.

As the struggle of the oppressed people of Iran in the face of the intense crisis of the regime intensifies, prisons continue to be filled with political prisoners. Thousands of workers, participants of May 1st demonstrations, students, journalists and web bloggers, activists of the women’s movement, and indigenous peoples and national minorities continue their resistance against this barbaric regime from behind prison bars. But notwithstanding the attempts of the regime to suppress and to stifle the resistance, the struggle of people of Iran continues unabated.

The bloody events in Iran since July 1999 and the rise in the militant protest actions of the workers, students, women and national minorities across the country in the last year, show that the people are more determined and resolute in raising the banner of the revolutionary struggle against the whole regime of Islamic republic and with all its factions.

On the 11th anniversary of the students’ uprising in Iran,

• We resolutely support the just struggle of the workers, students, women, oppressed peoples and other toiling masses of Iran;
• We condemn the recent execution of 5 Kurdish activists; and,
• We condemn the suppression of the recent workers, students’ and other sections of society by the Islamic regime and demand the immediate freedom for all political prisoners.

Down with the reactionary regime of Islamic Republic!

Victory to the revolutionary democratic-anti imperialist movement of toiling masses of Iran!

Activists of Peoples Fadaii Guerrillas of Iran – London

Democratic Anti-imperialist Organisation of Iranians in Britain