The pro-Khamenei teams working inside Britain’s universities: Student societies at 27 establishments are holding protests and sharing tributes mourning dying of Iran’s supreme chief
Pro-Khamenei groups are operating within 27 British universities where they are holding protests and sharing tributes to mourn the death of Iran‘s Supreme Leader.
Social media posts by Islamic societies depict despot Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a ‘martyr’ and signpost students for mental health support on ‘navigating collective grief’.
The tributes to one of the world’s most brutal dictators have been led by the universities’ Ahlul-Bayt Islamic societies (ABSoc).
Last week, ABSoc members at the University of Manchester took part in a candlelit vigil, which saw tense clashes between anti-Iranian regime protesters.
While at a vigil in Birmingham, supporters of the Iranian regime burnt an Israeli flag and chanted ‘death to the IDF’.
Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on police to ban the annual Al Quds Day march, organised by the Islamic Human Rights Commission in support of Iran’s ayatollahs, which is set to shut central London’s streets down on Mother’s Day this Sunday.
Khamenei presided over a brutal regime which slaughtered thousands of his own citizens, repressed women, and funded terror organisations.
He was killed on February 28 when a joint US-Israeli airstrike operation targeted his compound.
Leeds Ahlul-Bayt Islamic Society took to its Instagram Story yesterday to post a coloured sketch of the deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei handing the Iranian flag to his son Mojtaba whose image is depicted in a mirror
A social media post by the University College of London’s ABSoc depicts despot Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a ‘martyr’
National security think-tank The Henry Jackson Society carried out the research to uncover the number of student-led Islamic societies publishing supportive posts to the regime.
Universities where such activity has been recorded include University College London, Cambridge, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Southampton, Surrey, Cardiff, Glasgow, Brunel, Kingston, Westminster, Kings College London and Imperial College London.
Leeds Ahlul-Bayt Islamic Society’s profile picture on its Instagram page is currently turned black, in what appears to be a sign of mourning.
The group took to its Instagram Story yesterday to post a coloured sketch of the deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei handing the Iranian flag to his son Mojtaba whose image is depicted in a mirror.
The clerical body the Assembly of Experts yesterday announced Mojtaba as his father’s successor as Supreme Leader.
Some societies organised commemorative events on campus, while others posted condolence graphics, shared vigil material or cancelled events ‘in honour of our beloved Shuhada’.
The Henry Jackson Society is calling for universities and the Department for Education to urgently review how student societies are monitored and funded.
Emma Schubart, Research Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, said: ‘It is extraordinary that student societies across at least 27 British universities have openly mourned the leader of one of the world’s most repressive regimes.
‘Ayatollah Khamenei presided over a government responsible for brutal repression at home and the sponsorship of terrorism abroad. Seeing him described as a “martyr” and honoured on UK campuses should concern anyone who cares about democratic values.
‘The Government is right to recognise that extremism and radicalisation remain serious problems within parts of the university sector. But these cases show just how deeply the issue runs.
‘Universities must ensure their campuses are not being used as platforms to glorify authoritarian regimes or spread extremist narratives.’
Last week, The ABSoc at University College London sparked outrage by labelling Khamenei’s death as an ‘unimaginable loss’.
It said ‘this is not the end to resistance’, adding: ‘The Shia in the West must remain aware and ready.’
They posted a lengthy statement saying ‘we express our sincere condolences on the martyrdom of our beloved’, adding ‘do not allow the enemies of justice to rejoice over Muslim blood’.
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman condemned the society’s post and said it was a ‘disgrace’.
Speaking in Parliament, she said: ‘Disgracefully, the pro-Ayatollah student society plans to host a commemorative event in name of the ‘fallen’ on the campus of University College London, i.e. in support of those who supported the brutal IRGC regime.
The tributes to one of the world’s most brutal dictators have been led by the universities’ Ahlul-Bayt Islamic societies and signpost students for mental health support on ‘navigating collective grief’
The Queen Mary University of London’s ABSoc posted this tribute to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Pictured here is an Instagram post by the University of Sheffield’s ABSoc. It says ‘our leaders are martyrs’
‘This is utterly wrong, that taxpayer-funded university resource is being used to propagate the murderous ideology of the Tehran regime which has attacked UK bases and with whom we are effectively at war’.
UCL student and author Dov Forman said the statement was ‘extraordinary’, adding: ‘A UCL student society publicly mourning Ayatollah Khamenei and urging Shia in the West to stay ‘aware and ready’. On a UK campus. Universities cannot keep pretending this is just ‘student expression.’
But the UCL society hit back at criticism, comparing Khamenei to the Pope alongside a number of videos eulogising the Supreme Leader.
In a social media post last Monday, they wrote: ‘For millions of Shia Muslims worldwide, Ayatollah Khamenei occupies a role broadly analogous to that of the Pope within Catholicism.
‘A supreme religious authority whose death or targeting is experienced not merely as a political event, but as a profound communal and spiritual shock.’
They said the tribute was not ‘incitement, endorsement of violence, or unlawful mobilisation’, and argued that mourning the Iranian leader was ‘lawful expression’ protected under freedom of expression and academic freedom.
A UCL spokesperson at the time: ‘We are looking into social media posts by the AhlulBayt Islamic Society, which have led to a number of complaints.
‘We recognise that the recent events and escalation of conflict in the Middle East and the wider region are causing significant distress for many members of our community. With students and staff from a wide range of backgrounds, our priority is to ensure that everyone feels safe, respected, and supported.
‘UCL has in place a range of dedicated, expert support, both practical and emotional, for students and staff affected by conflict.’
A Department for Education spokesman said: ‘We condemn all extremist intimidation, harassment and incitement to hatred in our universities. Where public mourning involves this sort of unacceptable behaviour, it should not be tolerated.
‘We are absolutely committed to protecting lawful free speech and academic freedom, but those freedoms do not extend to behaviour that intimidates others.’
