Communist Students was one of the founding affiliates of the Hands Off the People of Iran campaign, which takes the principled position of both opposing imperialist war and acting in solidarity with the radical movements for liberation and socialism in Iran. We want to build this campaign in universities, colleges and schools across the UK, where possible establishing branches which can spread this message and organise effective anti-war and solidarity actions.

Iranian students are in day to day struggle with their own regime, often risking arrest, imprisonment, kidnap, torture and even death. On the occasion of the Students Day demonstrations on December 4 2007, 42 were arrested by the regime. Many were tortured and abused and at least one ended his life in prison – the authorities claimed it was suicide, but disposed of his body before an investigation could take place. Unsurprisingly his family and comrades do not believe the state’s story.

Despite this level of repression Iranian students have not been cowed into silence. Over 700 left students demonstrated at Tehran University alone on Students Day under the slogans:

No to imperialist war, death to the dictator!

The university is not an army garrison!

Hands Off the People of Iran!

No to criminal imperialist intervention!

The liberty of women is the liberty of society!

Equality, democracy, boycott the elections! (referring to the islamic parliamentary elections in March 2008)

Students in five major universities used a single poster – ‘Hands Off the People of Iran’ – for their simultaneous protests. In Tehran University, a message of solidarity by Communist Students was read out in Farsi.

The December 4 2007 demonstrations were organised by a group called Radical Left. Now left students organise under the banner of Iranian Students for Freedom and Equality. Quite unlike many student groups in the UK, they are not shy about their politics. They realise the vital importance of the link between ideas and action. For all these reasons their movement deserves our respect and admiration. But, more importantly than that, they need our solidarity – not least (though certainly not just) in opposing the threat of war against Iran, which could potentially be the death knell of their movement.

To get involved in Hands Off the People of Iran, visit the campaign’s website at www.hopoi.org

Dave Isaacson