A report on nationwide protests held by teachers; Security forces beat the teachers
14-December-2021
Category: Uncategorized
14-December-2021
Newsgroups: Repression – Teachers –
Breathing in Confinement: In response to a previous call, teachers across the country began their three-day protest rallies on Saturday, December 11th. On Saturday and Sunday, December 11 and 12, 2021, teachers staged sit-ins in at least 200 educational centers in more than 120 cities and regions. Teachers closed the classrooms and stopped hosting the “Shad” online educational program and staged a sit-in in school offices. On the third day of the protests, teachers in various cities held protest rallies in front of Education Department Buildings.
According to Breathing in Confinement, the news organ of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, on December 11 and 12, 2021, in response to a call by the Coordinating Council of Teachers’ Unions teachers stages sit-ins in more than 200 educational centers in at least 120 cities. They refused to attend classes and stopped running the “Shad” online education program. As the government rejected their demands, teachers continued their protests on Monday, December 13, 2021, in 31 provinces and more than 100 cities by gathering in front of the Departments for Education. Teachers from Tehran and Alborz provinces gathered in front of the parliament.
Teachers’ Union Council in its statement described the teachers’ demands as follows:
1- Approval of the Teachers Ranking Bill and its accurate and complete implementation
2- Equalizing the salaries of all jobs based on justice, especially equalizing the salaries of retirees
3- Free and equal education for students
4- Release of imprisoned teachers
Teachers’ large gatherings were held in front of the Education Department Buildings in the following cities: Abadan, Aligudarz, Baghmalek, Jolfa, Shiraz, Isfahan, Najafabad, Golpayegan, Tehran, Qazvin, Zanjan, Ardabil, Urmia, Tabriz, Sanandaj, Marivan, Saqez, Yazd , Kerman, Kamyaran, Qorveh, Noorabad-e Mamasani, Kashan, Bushehr, Bojnourd, Malekan, Bijar, Sajasrud, Khonj, Shushtar, Bandar-e Khomeini, Aghajari, Lali, Lande, Shahrekord, Ilam, Izeh, Kangan, Mamolan, Charam, Behbahan, Semirom, Karkheh , Takab, Mehr, Droud, Shushtar, Dehdasht, Dezful, Mashhad, Bukan, Bandar-e Abbas, Andimeshk, Marvdasht, Jam, Semnan, Lamerd, Shoushadanial, Abarkooh, Babak, Darab, Bafgh, Borazjan, Arsanjan, Eghlid, Abkenar, Qeshm, Evaz, Sari, Minab, Bandanzali, Sarvabad, Dishmuk, Rasht, Ghalee Ganj, Marand, Tiran and Karvan, Poldakhtar, Shahreza, Selseleh, Delfan, Nodan, Bueinzehra, Zarrinshahr, Abadeh, Mahdishahr, Gotvand, Jaizan, Sajas, Omidiyeh , Amol, Bahmaei and Shadegan.
Teachers from Tehran and Alborz provinces gathered in front of the parliament.
Teachers chanted slogans such as “Teachers stand up! for ending the discrimination”, “The imprisoned teachers must be released”, “Ranking is our right”, “If our problem is not solved, schools will remain closed”, “We have heard a lot of promises but have not seen justice”,” Rasool Bodaghi should be released”,” Teachers are aware and hate discrimination”, “Implementation of the ranking bill, implementation of equalization, with no cheating” and “Teachers! shout for your rights”.
In Tehran and Mazandaran, teachers’ gatherings were violently confronted by security forces. In Mazandaran, plain clothes security agents as well as police forces fired tear gases at the teachers and beat them.
Teachers in the cities of Tehran and Isfahan held placards protesting against the repression of the uprisings in Isfahan by firing birdshot bullets at the protesters. The placards read: “My student got blind, the answer to the request for water is not birdshot bullets” and “Who is responsible for both eyes blindness of our students in Isfahan?”
At the end of the rally, the teachers read the final resolution.
A part of the resolution reads: “If the result of tomorrow’s session (Tuesday, December 14) is not an increase in teachers’ salaries to at least 80% of the salaries of university faculty members, above the poverty line of 12 million Tomans, and the budget for implementation of the equalizing bill (October 2021) is not approved, the protests will be continue on a larger scale.”
It should be noted that on Saturday, December 11, 2021, concurrently with the sit-ins staged by teachers in school offices, Rasoul Bodaghi, a member of the Teachers’ Union, and Amanj Amini, a teacher in Kurdistan, were arrested by security forces.