Iran's universities under spotlight as protests persist
Universities in Iran have turned into a battleground between authorities and student demonstrators. The latest protests mirror the experiences of earlier generations.
In videos circulating on social media, male and female students students on Iranian university campuses are seen eating together, often outside the gender-segregated dining halls that were closed after students tore down the walls dividing men and women.
Eating together in front of the closed cafeterias is considered act of resistance. The videos are an act of protest and solidarity with anti-government demonstrations that have been going on for months in Iran.
In many videos, protesters holding placards also draw attention to fellow students who have been arrested. According to media reports, about 300 students have been detained by authorities .
The protesters appear not to be intimidated by the government's clampdown on the demonstrations.
"A student may die but will not accept humiliation," they chanted at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, in an online video verified by AFP.
The university students also show solidarity with Iranian schoolchildren, who are active in the protests and, as a result, paying a price.
