Students, lecturers and Oxford residents called for a change – as they came together in support of protests following the death of Mahsa Amini last month.

Scores of demonstrators flocked to Bonn Square this afternoon, lighting candles and arranging roses around pictures of Ms Amini.

The Kurdish woman, who was known to her family as Jina, died after being arrested and detained in Tehran by the ‘morality police’ for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly. Witnesses said she was beaten in a police van on the way to a detention centre, although police claim she suffered ‘sudden heart failure’.

Her death has sparked a wave of protests across the country.

In Oxford on Tuesday, one 26-year-old university student, who did not want to give her name, said she had joined the Bonn Square protest to show ‘solidarity and support the right for freedom’.

“It’s not only about a woman being beaten to death by police. It’s what freedom for women and Iranians means,” she added.

“This is an issue that half of the people are dealing with. It represents all the human rights that have been violated.”

Another student, second year Arian Amiri, 20, whose family fled Iran following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, added: “Every single time a woman or man is gunned down it feels like my own brother or sister is being gunned down.”

Protesters held placards marked ‘woman, life, freedom’ and chanted Ms Amini’s name as they met in central Oxford.

A number of flowers, including 20 red roses, had been placed on the ground together with candles and images of young women and men allegedly killed by the Iranian state.

Sepideh, 54, an Oxford scientist who asked not to give her surname, told the Oxford Mail: “What I want is I want them to stop telling women that they’re the problem of society and I want them to stop telling women that they need to cover up. The way they’re doing it is a double standard.”  

She was around 10 when the revolution swept the Shah from power. “I went to school under the Islamic Republic and I was told you should cover up your hair and body because it disturbs men. That’s the most ridiculous thing.”

Another man, 21, whose family fled Iran during the 1979 revolution, cited reports that the average age of many of those who had been arrested was 15. “You just feel inspired by the bravery shown by the women there.”

Dana Shahveissi’s family are Kurdish, from the capital of the Kurdistan province. She said: “In Tehran they’ve got water cannon. They’re shooting into people’s homes in Sanandaj.”

She added: “For me personally, any change is going to be a positive thing in Iran.”

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward