Solidarity of Educators with Students on the Occasion of December 7

With the arrival of December 7, the Coordination Council of Educators' Trade Unions of Iran expressed solidarity with the students of the country, emphasizing the role of students, teachers, and all freedom-loving people in standing against repression and violence. In a statement, the council referred to 'Student Day' as a 'day of resistance and protest' and noted: 'Despotism and capital are two sides of the same coin, seeking knowledge and awareness not as tools for liberation but as means for repression and the continuation of their official ideology, viewing the university as a barracks that must be subjugated.' The council, in its statement, expressed solidarity with 'freedom-loving people and awakened students' and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all political and ideological prisoners, teachers, and students. The Coordination Council of Educators' Trade Unions also emphasized the necessity of dismantling repressive institutions, ensuring the right to independent organization without interference and repression, and ending the exploitation of teachers and students, adding: 'Education should not be a commodity in the hands of the ruling class.' This nationwide teachers' organization condemned gender discrimination and the repression of women, including the imposition of mandatory hijab and anti-women laws such as the so-called 'Chastity and Hijab Law,' as well as 'any form of war and warmongering, whether at the international level or within the country.' The council condemned 'economic shocks, inflation, and poverty-inducing policies' and 'executions, imprisonment, and widespread repression by the government,' addressing students with the message: 'Students and teachers are the guardians of awareness; and this awareness is the main enemy of despotism and rent-seeking capital. December 7 is not only a day of protest but also a day for creating new visions for a free and equal society. We stand with you to reclaim these bastions from the clutches of oppression and build a new future.'