Below are photos and a short video done by two groups from Brussels’ universities on 7 December to support Iran’s Students on 16 Azar.

From Iranian National Student Day’s Organizing Committee, Los Angeles:

In solidarity with the National Student Day in Iran, Community activists and the Iranian National Student Organizing Committee in Los Angeles on Dec. 5th joined hands in a silent rally which took place at the Federal Building in Westwood.

On this day we called on the international community to demand and pressure the Iranian government to release ALL political prisoners especially the students, without condition. We are also demanding the cessation of arrest, torture and execution of political activists, human rights activists, and all other citizens who exercise freedom of speech against a government that continuously violates the covenant of the human rights declaration.

We also collected letters for Amnesty International’s “Write for Rights”, letter writing campaign, supporting Majid Tavakkoli, imprisoned student leader, who may spend more than 8 years in prison for simply criticizing the government. Sponsors for this event were the following organizations; Organizing Committee for the Iranian National Student Day, Amnesty International, Supporters of Mourning Mothers / Valley; Los Angeles, Society for Democracy in Iran (Southern California), Iranian Students of Southern California.

On December 11, a few days after Iran’s Student Day, activists in Ireland gathered in front of Dublin’s IRI Embassy to mark the day. The activists rallied at the front gates wearing and carrying masks of student activists and prisoners of conscience, including Ahmad Zeidabadi, Nasrin Sotoudeh, and Bahareh Hedayat.

To mark Iranian Student’s Day (Dec 7 / 16 Azar), students and rights activists gathered at Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey to take part in the “Where is my classmate?” campaign.

At Amsterdam’s Rietveld Academy of Art & Design and at Delft University, the “Where is my classmate?” campaign arose. For 16 Azar, the organizers set up empty chairs representing detained Iranian students, and as noted by the groups, some took notice and continued with their own business, while many stopped to write a few words in support of the students of Iran. This campaign took place all around the world, including in Sweden, New York, Vancouver, London, and Calgary.

For more about this campaign, and to see the full collection of pictures, visit http://www.whereismyclassmate.blogspot.com.

Iranian students held a ceremony in Ottawa for 16 Azar in order to show support with Iran’s student movements. The event was organized by “Green Ottawa.” In keeping with the “National Campaign for Student Day,” organizers distributed leaflets prepared and played clips of student protests during the elections. Participants also signed a petition to protest the Iranian government’s violent policies in its treatment of  students.

From the organizers:

On 7th of December (16 Azar) 2010, Iranian Student Association at SOAS University held an informal event to mark the 57th anniversary of Student’s day in Iran The event included the screening of the film “Legacy of nonviolence struggle in Iran” by Hossein Fazali, handing out fliers and asking students to take part in signing postcards that urges the Islamic Republic to observe human rights. A number of students took part in posting video messages of solidarity with Iranian students. We were joined by LSE University students that contributed to our video project.

Student activists at the University College of London, in conjunction with various other organizations, also issued and distributed the statement below:

To our fellow students in Iran:

We the students who are actively fighting for our rights to education in the UK, are sending this message of solidarity and unity to support your struggle and endeavours for democracy and justice. We have followed your determination and bravery and the dear price you have paid since the summer of 2009. We have also been informed of the level of systematic oppression against students, imprisonment of student activists, suspending students from their studies and intimidation through internal and external disciplinary measures. Although incomparable, we have also experienced some degree of state brutality, intimidation and limitations to our rights to protests. We believe that our similarities overshadow our differences and we stand with you in unity. From students in London to Athens, to Tehran, we are fighting to return the power back to its rightful owners, the people.

Solidarity,
UCL, Manchester, Sheffield, SOAS, Brighton, Goldsmiths and Bath occupations

Students and activists gathered at Texas A&M University for Iran’s student day. The event’s organizing group was the “Sabz Aggies.” See the organizers’ blog here: http://green-college-st.blogspot.com/2010/12/16-1389_07.html

A group of students and student activists residing abroad joined to commemorate Iran’s Student Day at DC’s George Washington University. In this gathering large number of student activists and human right activists who seek echoing the voice of Iranian student activists in International arena,  and who are planning to organize extensive collaborative efforts in support of Iranian student movement, gave speeches to the conference.

Ali Afshari, of the Student Association at George Washington University, and one of the meeting organizers explained the potentials of student movement and of spoke of the student movement as well as the structural  and atmospheric factors affecting student movement. He noted that lack of political development in the society, weakness of civil society, as well as social credibility and non-political functionality of the student movement are the factors that give  valuable potential to Iran’s student movement.

From the organizers:

The program in held in Venice was in solidarity with the student movement in Iran. The event was held in a tourist section where we spoke to tourists and passer-byers and distributed fliers. We also had a petition of support that we asked the public to sign.  Pictures and posters of imprisoned and executed students were hung from our necks to further illuminate their faces and stories.