Iranian Teachers go on Strike by Canceling Classes & Sharing Pictures of Themselves Holding Signs
#MahsaAmini #مهسا_امینی #IranRevolution #IranRevolution2022
The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade (CCITTA) invited all K-12 teachers around the country to join a two-day strike to protest against the inhumane and violent treatment of students. On October 23rd & 24th, many teachers responded to this call by canceling classes & sharing pictures of themselves holding signs to show that they support students' rights to expression of their thoughts without fear of persecution, detention, and death. The signs were a demonstration and summary of what concerns Iranian teachers at this moment: demands for releasing all arrested teachers & students; emphasizing that students' safety is teachers' number one priority; that no one should be subject to violence; and, declaring that they, too, stand for "Woman, Life, Freedom".
Teachers from Kurdistan Province have embraced this call more enthusiastically given the long history of resistance in the region and the extreme violence used on their students. Nonetheless, many others across the nation joined the call too. An analysis of all the posts on the CCITTA Twitter platform showed that at least 798 teachers, from 111 distinct schools, in 30 cities & rural towns joined the strike.
On October 24th, CCITTA announced that some teachers who participated in the strike noticed that "an absentee fee" has been deducted from their paycheck. Teachers perceived this as a warning by the district Education Department if they continue to proceed with their protest. The fiscal threat is added to the security threats that vocal teachers have been facing in the past years at the hands of IRI. CCITTA is providing daily updates on the number of teachers who have been arrested since the beginning of the uprising.
The cities that joined the strike:
Over 343 teachers in at least 46 schools in Marivan, over 211 teachers in at least 30 schools in Saqez, Over 99 teachers in at least 5 schools in Sanandaj, over 60 teachers in at least 10 schools in small cities in Kurdistan province along with over 85 teachers from at least 20 other schools joined the strike.
Other References:
RFE/RL's Radio Farda: Iranian Teachers Call Strike Over Crackdown That Has Killed Students
CNN: Iranian teachers call for nationwide strike in protest over deaths and detention of students
WSWS: Iranian teachers hold two-day sit-down strike against state repression of nationwide protests