While the government observed a day of national mourning on July 30, 2024, thousands of Bangladeshis turned social media red in a symbolic act of defiance, rejecting the official observance and vowing to mourn only when justice was served.
Facebook feeds were awash with red as students, teachers, journalists, writers, cultural activists and people from all walks of life replaced their profile photos with blood-red images in a display of solidarity while rejecting black, the traditional colour of mourning.
Leaders and supporters of the then ruling Awami League, however, responded by turning their profile pictures black.
The protest soon moved beyond social media. At Jahangirnagar University, teachers from different departments marched silently with red cloths covering their mouths to protest the killings, arrests, and alleged torture of students and ordinary citizens. More than 50 teachers and students at North South University formed a human chain in solidarity.
Across the country, demonstrations continued under the banner of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement after Abdul Kader, a key coordinator, announced on the previous night that the protests would continue until their demands were met and urged countrymen to stand with the movement.
The platform announced a nationwide a “March for Justice” programme for July 31, urging teachers, lawyers, human rights defenders, professionals, workers and citizens from all walks of life to join demonstrations across the country.
In Dhaka, prominent citizens gathered at the Dhaka Reporters Unity to demand the release of six coordinators, including Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud and Nusrat Tabassum, from Detective Branch (DB) custody.
They also unveiled an 11-point demands that called for an independent, credible and internationally accepted investigation under a senior United Nations expert into the killings and the use of firearms and force by law enforcers, and punishment to also those responsible.
Cultural activists joined the protests with a procession from Zero Point in Gulistan, and denounced the killings through songs, poetry and street performances, while covering roads and walls with protest slogans and graffiti.
International concern also grew in parallel. The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell condemned the excessive use of force against protesting students, and called for accountability from the authorities.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres also voiced concern over the escalating situation in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, the government focused on banning Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir. Ministers said the ban would be finalised the following day.
