Schools of Flame: UPDATE
Jun 15th, 2009 by pedestrian
Last night my school was in flames. Last night the students in dormitories on campus were in awe, shock and despair. Please let them in folks. Please give them refuge.
There was to be a mass demonstration today at 4 p.m. All through out the night, student groups were sending mass emails asking students NOT TO ATTEND as there are reports that security forces have been ordered to OPEN FIRE on demonstrators. Here is a translation of one such email:
The pro-Mousavi demonstrations are canceled. Security forces have been ordered to open fire on demonstrators. The source for my news is ______ [Pedestrian's note: this person is one of our classmates who is also a close relative of a high ranking pro-reform clergyman]. Watch out for yourselves.
P.S. I want nothing more than to sit down and debate an Ahmadinejad supporter right now.
P.S. This news has not been confirmed but dormitory number 21 has now been completely occupied by security forces and they are there as we speak.
It is still unclear whether the warnings about today’s demonstrations were rumors, and if so,where they might originate. I have only seen limited footage of the protests and I don’t think it can yet be determined whether these rumors have influenced the turnout rates. I have seen footage of Mohammad Reza Khatami (who was arrested and released two days ago) in the crowds.
All university exams have been postponed for the next 3 months. There have also been brutal confrontations with students at the University of Isfahan and the school has now been completely evacuated.
This is another email that was sent last night. I have seen this video of Rahnavard but the student’s report has not been confirmed:
The person in the white shirt is my friend ___ an art student at the School of Fine Arts at the Tehran University. I was chatting with him hour ago on Yahoo messenger, he was inside the dormitory. He said he had hid himself under the bed but he could hear screams and shouts. He told me there is blood everywhere and police are finally gone. The students had taken some of the militias captive and they were holding them inside the library. The police stormed the library and arrested everyone. The number of injuries and arrests is unknown. This happened the night of june 14 2009 after midnight. Earlier in the evening, a video was recorded inside the School of Fine Arts. In this video Zahra Rahnavard urges students to non-violent protest and promises them that her husband would not give up. Hours later the police attack the school. Some of the people you see in the video including girls are missing at the moment.
I have been numb, speechless and in tears for the past few days. I have always been told that no matter how cruel or merciless the world may be, the school is your refuge. A web of safety that shelters you from the world. Where will we go now that our schools too have been destroyed? These kids are Iran’s brightest students. I went to school with them. We ate lunch together and shared our sandwiches. What is happening to them?
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Update
Here is a video of the University of Tehran in the aftermath of the raid on the student dormitories.
Here are some photos of main entrance to the university a day before the raids.
There has also been heavy brutality towards students at the University of Shiraz and the school chancellor has resigned. The dormitories at the University of Isfahan were witness to heavy confrontations two nights ago. I will post photos as I find them.
Here are some more.
May Allah be with you all little sister, isA this crisis will end peacefully.
Thank you Mohammad.
I am glued to my computer screen right now watching updates on Twitter trying to get my head around what is going on. It seems access to Iranian cellphones may be blocked…I am getting “call failed” messages when I attempt to call from here in Australia.
I am so scared and nervous of what will happen next. The pictures you posted of the dorm damage – just unbelievable (and I’m sure nothing compared to the terror they inflicted on the students)….you should try to tweet links to the pics or post them via flickr? People everywhere seem to be seeking as much video and photo proof as possible of what is going on and now with foreign journalists banned from reporting, it is up to everyone where possible to provide the raw information.
I don’t know what on earth will happen next but I just hope for those who have died, their deaths will not have been in vain.
Sophie, thank you for your thoughts.
I will post links to more photos in this post shortly.
The worse thing is that I still don’t have any confirmed reports about my classmates. How many were imprisoned? How many have died? How many are fatally wounded?
There is a HUGE mall of rumors but nothing confirmed.
Thanks for posting more photos.
The struggle to get accurate information is draining. I have no idea where my boyfriend is right now, if his family is okay etc. Here I am sitting in my office attempting to work – to make money for people with already more money than they could ever need – and it just seems so pointless….all I care about right now is trying to understand what is going on on the ground in Iran.
I really hope your friends and classmates are safe. My thoughts are with you and with them. Anyone prepared to stand up and fight this injustice; these lies; is a hero in my eyes. Being here in my safe western country, I just try to imagine what it is like for those protesting and I can’t. I don’t even know if I would have the courage to risk my life like they are doing. I feel petrified just sitting here.
Sophie, I hope that your boyfriend and his family are safe.
Despite the chaos at school, the rest of the population has been out of harm’s way so far so I wouldn’t be too worried.
What makes me cringe is that many of these kids were only there because of exam season. They had no interest in politics or even this election. They were up all night studying … and were suddenly hit by this torpedo.
They seem to be the first victims of every single fight.
Be safe and thanks for your thoughts!
Thanks for your thoughts. It’s good to know most people have been out of harm’s way so far – I am pretty sure he and his family are safe….but my boyfriend has had some very serious heart problems in the past few weeks and I am quite concerned about how this stress/excitement will affect him….
It is awful about the students who got caught up through no choice of their own. I read somewhere someone went to the university simply to study for their exam and then they got stuck in the middle of the violence.
I just hope this story has an ending that doesn’t involve Iran turning into a total police-state with foreigners banned from entering.
Sophie! Please don’t believe what you see on the news. PLEASE! Despite everything, Iran has yet to become a police-state! Don’t believe it!
I pray for your boyfriend. More than that, I hope you hear from him soon.
Oh no – I don’t think Iran has turned into a police state yet but I am just fearful that those wanting power will resort to extreme force to control everyone and things will end up worse overall.
My ideal hope is that these protests lead to Mousavi getting into power and some form of positive/democratic change….but then I don’t know if anyone really knows what Mousavi will be like in power? Is true change possible? It’s all so sudden. When me and my boyfriend speak about Iran we saw democracy, true freedom as being years away….and a slow process of change….but it seems people are hungering for it NOW!
Thanks for your kind words on my boyfriend. I appreciate it so much. Hopefully I speak to him soon and he is resting in bed where he should be and not wanting to go out and join the crowds!! I’m also dying to know what the atmosphere is like though…what he thinks, what his family think about what is going on.
Do you have any words on what the feeling is like on the ground in Iran among those not directly involved in the protests? Are people energised or are people cynical about the end result from all this?
Sophie, I don’t think what many realize is that Mousavi was not the pro-West, anti-establishment candidate. That candidate was Karoubi. I think that a lot of us have the 8 years of Khatami under our belt and decided not to vote for the candidate with the bigger promises, but rather, someone who was very much part of the system, who might make life a little easier for us, but not so much either.
Now, things have taken a different turn, but what is kind of frustrating is seeing Obama and/or color-coded revolution comparisons.
Yes! I do! There are people who think Mousavi should just SHUT UP and accept the results. Especially after what happened at campuses across Iran, I know many parents who feel extremely angry at his continuation of this protest.
I hope you’re well ….
Thanks for your reply.
I don’t think Mousavi is actively pro-west (I mean he was PM in the 80s and that says a lot!)….from what I’ve read he would have kept on with the nuclear program and he wasn’t stating he would change the politcal system from the current status quo….but again, from what I’ve read – it sounds like he would have been prepared to engage in dialogue with the US, and he definitely had more moderate views about things such as women’s rights and he definitely planned to do something about Iran’s failing economy. I think as you have mentioned, he was part of the system – and that is a major strength in many respect (as much as it is a failing in others). He knows how it works and I believe he is being very strategic in his game plan right now, tring to anticipate what will happen next and how to maintain momentum.
It seems however that things have moved beyond the election now and who won isn’t the core issue anymore. From what I’ve been reading online a lot of people are talking about “freedom” about “democracy” about “change”…..perhaps feeling a sense that there is a possibility for something beyond what Mousavi could offer?
I’m sure some might hope for more than what was originally planned!
As for me, I just want to make sure I live in a system where my vote is counted! Despite all the limitations that are set beforehand (handpicking the candidates by the guardian council, etc) the IRI ALWAYS had the backing of the people. And I want to make sure it stays that way … Any news from your boyfriend Sophie?
Good luck, Pedestrian, and be safe.
I’m so very sad that you have to go through all this and I hope things will change for the better.
Thanks for your blog. Let me know if it would be of any help to publicize it on my Facebook.
Marie
Hi Marie.
Thanks for your wishes.
No facebook, no twitter! That’s the best non-publicity we need right now
Well I was writing last night to a friend that despite hearing words “revolution” “democracy” thrown around etc….outsiders have to be careful not to make any assumptions about what the Iranian people really want. The West’s biggest mistake singe 1979 has been to always THINK they understand Iran and Iranian people and the subsequent assumptions they’ve made have been immesely damaging on a political decision making level.
Personally, my preference is for Iran to become a country where I can walk down the street in a mini-skirt, no chador, kissing my boyfriend whenever I feel like it (and not having to pretend he is my husband or we’re engaged or something)….I want a country where my boyfriend can run his business without having to deal with insanely corrupt government officials who are total idiots because they’re only in the job due to who they know/religious standing…..I want it to be OK to be an atheist and to publicly acknowledge that…..I want to be able to buy alcohol legally….
What use is it to have your vote counted, if the person you wan’t to vote for is banned from running?
I still can’t get hold of my boyfriend. He may be out of Tehran without cellphone reception but many people online say that cell phone use is still being blocked. Whatever the case, it’s making me angry – but I’m sure I’ll hear from him when possible.
It just pisses me off too if he can’t watch his CNN on TV because supposedly they’re jamming signals.
Sophie, I would certainly love to wear a miniskirt in my hometown, and walk its beautiful beaches any way I please.
But I also wouldn’t want those things right now, at this particular moment. Even if i could have them. Because I think they would overshadow so many more fundamental issues that are critical for us right now.
And while the guardian council’s handpicking of the candidates is in complete violation of many of our wishes, and many fundamental human instincts, I see it as a worldwide phenomena. In the U.S., unless candidates abide and swear to certain right-wing codes and regulations, they can’t even enter the race. Nevermind that their two party system is quite reminiscent of many of the Iranian restraints to begin with.
I’m not saying that justifies what is going on in Iran. But that at the end of the day, what makes us Iranians stick by the ayatollahs is that they are continuously attacked by people we see as worse – or as bad – as they are. Actually, I think these continuous attacks is partly the reason why they have been backed by popular support despite their actions.
OK! Nous sommes de tout coeur avec vous.
Nous étions il y a un mois (mai 2009) en IRAN…la situation est déconcertante pour la jeunesse…sans espoir, sans but, sans avenir…
Il faut mettre ce régime théocratique “out”…avec l’aide de l’Occident!
Lallier, these demonstrations ARE NOT ABOUT REGIME CHANGE OR THE WEST
Bonjour,
la jeunesse française, en tout cas celle dont je fais partie, soutient la jeunesse iranienne et plus largement tout le peuple qui manifeste. Les mouvements de révoltes à Téhéran et dans les provinces, de ce qu’on peut en voir depuis ici, est la preuve que le peuple iranien est un grand peuple, qui a la volonté d’une vie supérieure, une vie avec la liberté possible.
De plus, je voudrais dire qu’en vous apportant notre soutien ce n’est pas le soutien de l’occident (l’occident et l’orient sont trop souvent utilisés pour séparer deux mondes plus proches qu’on pourrait le croire) c’est le soutien d’hommes et de femmes qui vous comprennent.
Bon courage.
Thanks Charleli for your thoughts (from what I understood of them that is!
)
East and West are often used in the context which you speak. And while we are being divided and cut up from each other the way we are, the best support you can give us is your SILENCE.