Teachers have called for a nationwide school closure on 18 February under the banner \u201cFor the empty desks, for the unfinished dreams,\u201d honouring the children and educators killed in the crackdown. Memorial ceremonies across the country are drawing large crowds, with families openly demanding justice and chanting \u201cDeath to the dictator.\u201d Alongside broader calls for work stoppages, these actions show a society that refuses to forget, refuses to retreat, and is turning mourning into organised resistance.<\/p>\n
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Teachers call for nationwide school closure on 18 February<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cFor the empty desks, for the unfinished dreams\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n As the fortieth day since the January massacre approaches, commemorations, nightly rooftop chants of \u201cDeath to the dictator,\u201d and calls for work stoppages on 17 and 18 February are spreading across Iran. Millions are forming a united front of justice against the Islamic Republic. Anger and determination continue to grow, with society openly declaring that no degree of repression will force it back.<\/p>\n On this occasion, the Coordinating Council of Teachers\u2019 Trade Associations of Iran<\/strong> has issued a call titled \u201cFor the empty desks, for the unfinished dreams,\u201d<\/em> declaring Wednesday 18 February 2026<\/strong> a day of public mourning, strike, and school closure.<\/p>\n The statement refers to the 230 children killed during the January crackdown and to teachers punished for \u201cvoicing the pain of students.\u201d It states:<\/p>\n \u201cThey were not numbers. They had names, families, futures\u2026 The Council calls for:<\/strong><\/p>\n The statement concludes:<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not accept forgetting. We will turn the school into a field of struggle for the right to life.\u201d<\/p>\n Broader Calls for Work Stoppage<\/strong><\/p>\n Numerous organisations have called for closures and work stoppages around the fortieth day. In a joint statement, the Worker-communist Party of Iran<\/strong> and the Communist Party of Iran<\/strong> urged society to halt work, stand with justice-seeking families, and participate massively in commemorations.<\/p>\n Fortieth-Day Memorials Across Iran<\/strong><\/p>\n Nearly forty days after the January massacre, memorial ceremonies continue nationwide. Families openly speak of overthrowing the regime. Large crowds and chants of \u201cDeath to the dictator\u201d reflect an explosive social atmosphere.<\/p>\n 16 February ceremonies included:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cHossein went to voice freedom and truth. They answered him with live bullets.\u201d The widespread participation, defiant speeches, and nightly chants demonstrate a society that refuses silence. The fortieth day has become not only a moment of mourning, but a renewed declaration that the machinery of killing must end.<\/p>\n Worker-communist Party of Iran<\/strong>
\nWhen a child is killed, society does not merely mourn; its future is executed\u2026
\nWe will not allow names to become numbers, and numbers to be forgotten.
\nDefending school is defending the future. The right to life comes before any expediency.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
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\nThe crowd responded: \u201cDeath to the dictator.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\n16 February 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"