Demonstrators gathered in Market Square on Sunday (26/04) to commemorate the Iranians who were killed by the Islamic Republic of Iran on 7, 8, and 9 January, after protesting against the government.

In an Instagram post, Cambridge Iranians and Be Iran Biandishim, who organised the event, said: “Join us as we stand together in support of the Lion and Sun Revolution, honour the memory of our martyrs, and show our unbreakable solidarity with the Iranian people’s fight for freedom.”

Ardisheer, Operations Manager of Be Iran Biandishim, told Varsity: “over 43,000 people were killed on the 7th and 8th of January 2026 by the Islamic regime […] These people asked for freedom, for justice, for a better life, for regime change.”

The protest featured a “Wall of Immortals,” brought from Newcastle, which demonstrators said showed “the pictures of 1,000 people who were killed by the Islamic regime of Iran” in January.

One poster read: “On January 8 and 9, millions of Iranians took to the streets demanding freedom and their basic human rights. Protesting for freedom being [sic] met with a bullet. Tens of Thousands of precious lives were lost in the struggle for FREEDOM.”

Demonstrators waved Lion and Sun flags – the official flag of Iran before the revolution in 1979 – alongside American and Israeli flags, to show their gratitude for the countries who protesters said “are help[ing] Iranians achieve their liberty”. One demonstrator said that after the Islamic Republic of Iran “killed people on a genocidal scale […] the Iranian people realised that we need outside help because the protesters are unarmed civilians against a fully armed military”.

They added that the Iranian community asked for help, “especially from the Americans,” and “Trump did act […] and with the help of Israel, they started bombing the Islamic regime of Iran”.

The protest attracted criticism from observers, with one protester, Haj, commenting: “This [protest] is controversial, it is complicated, a lot of people argue that the Americans and Israelis are doing this [military intervention in Iran] for their own interests.” He claimed opposition to their protests came from “people who hate Israel,” and who “are against what Israel has done and is doing in Palestine in Gaza and Lebanon”.

He added: “This is a different discussion, this is a very controversial topic. But right now what Israel is doing is helping the Iranian people even though they are doing it for their own interest, it is helping us to liberate our country. Our revolution is being used as an instrument by the left to fight or to attack Israel or Trump and we don’t want our revolution to be hijacked by left or right arguments.”

Cambridge University Amnesty International (CUAI) told Varsity: “CUAI remains committed to the wider Amnesty view of the grave situation in Iran. The people of Iran face a double threat of the domestic repression of an authoritarian regime and the aggression of the United States and Israel.

“CUAI believes in peaceful, non violent freedom of expression and protest. Our stance on this specific situation is a call for immediate de-escalation and adherence to national and international human rights.”

The Cambridge Young Greens told Varsity: “The Iranian regime has perpetuated horrific human rights abuses and should be held to account for them. At the same time, the illegal US-Israeli strikes on the country have already made over a thousand civilian victims, and will destabilise the region further. We support the Iranian people’s right to freedom of expression and condemn the actions of the US and Israel.”

The event attracted participants from across the country, including Newcastle, Glasgow, and London. Amanda, a participant from Southampton, said: “This is a unique thing that we [Be Iran Biandishim] do with displaying our people who were murdered in January […] so I came up to support our organisation.”

She added: “We had a lot of interest, which we were hoping to, and people were open to stop and chat” about “what is going on in Iran”. However, she noted: “it was sad that a majority of people didn’t know what we were here for, they had no idea what is happening in Iran”.

Amanda highlighted the event’s importance in raising awareness about the “revolution in Iran,” saying: “At the moment, we get shut down, governments do not listen to us, they refuse to meet with us, the mainstream media and the general public does not really interview us or listen to us, we find it really difficult to be heard.

“We are hoping that by doing this, the general public of Britain will stand with us, write to their politicians and say that they want the government to stand with the people of Iran and not with the government of Iran.”

Another demonstrator told Varsity that they aimed “to be the voice of the people in Iran,” adding that, due to “over two months” of digital blackouts in Iran, “it’s our job to come out and be their voice, and to say to the people what has happened in Iran”.