Iranian schoolgirls take up battle cry as protests continue

High school girls have become the latest Iranians to join anti-government protests in large numbers, as the country mourned a teenager killed in the first days of protests.

On Tuesday, President Ebrahim Raisi called for unity against the protests even as they continued to grow, bringing together Iranians across ethnic and class divides, despite the government crackdown.

However public fury is so widespread that even one hardline daily newspaper openly challenged the authorities, accusing them of being in denial about their own failings and unpopularity.

They were initially sparked by the death in custody of a young Kurdish woman who had been detained by morality police, and the name of Mahsa Amini has become a digital rallying cry for supporters.

But the protests have expanded into a broader call for change, from a population frustrated by political controls and economic isolation and stagnation.

Security forces have responded with live ammunition and brutal violence, killing over 50 people already and arresting over 1,500.

In one video from a classroom a girl replaced an image of the pair with the slogan of the protest movement, footage shared on social media showed. In another image, a group of teenagers photographed themselves making obscene gestures towards the two men.

Where people are not able to march, they have organised indoor protests and evaded a government internet crackdown to upload videos and photos.

Iranian authorities have a long history of using deadly force against protesters, including in 2019 and 2009. As the movement gathers pace, and rulers in Tehran seem increasingly unnerved, western governments have warned Khamenei against escalation.

The government has attempted to frighten Iranian celebrities and reporters into staying silent online, and force ordinary civilians back into their homes, but so far their efforts have met with mixed success.

The scenes had echoes of the days after the 1979 Islamic Revolution that brought the current government to power. Then, as today, large numbers of women came out to protest against mandatory hijab, and high school students played a key role, although the demonstrations were eventually crushed.

Dozens of Iranian journalists have been arrested in an apparent bid to shut down news about the protests, and the government has attempted to choke off the internet and bar access to key social media sites used to both plan protests and share news.