Current and former Concordians have organized protests in support of students in Bangladesh.
After graduating from Concordia University with a master’s degree in software engineering last April, Shafiq Imtiaz watched in horror as student protests in his home country of Bangladesh were violently repressed by the government. He knows people who were killed during the protests, and remembers the shock of learning about someone he knew in Bangladesh being shot in the head.
“When you see the circles are closing in more and more to your own friends and family, that’s when you feel the severity of what was happening in Bangladesh,” Imtiaz said. “Staying here in Canada or any other countries beyond Bangladesh, you don’t get to feel it that much because you’re actually not in there. But the moment something happens to your own family members or your friends or your juniors, anyone you used to know personally, that’s when you feel the shock.”
The protests broke out after the High Court Division of the Bangladesh Supreme Court reinstated quotas for government jobs, which are highly coveted in the country. They notably ensured that 30 per cent of government employees were descendants of veterans from the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation war.
This move was criticized for favouring certain groups over others, like government loyalists or those with the financial means to take advantage of the system. Protesters demanded the abolition of the quota system. However, the extent and violence of the government’s crackdown on the student protesters sparked a wider protest movement against the then government.
“Over 1,000 people have been killed, and over 400 students have lost their eyesight,” said Interim Health Ministry Chief Nurjahan Begum, as was reported by Reuters.
Amnesty International also said that over 10,000 people were arrested in July alone in relation to the student protests.
“The quota was generally seen as a way of favouring the current regime, which has become increasingly authoritarian since they were elected to power in 2009,” explained McGill University political science professor Narendra Subramanian. “[The reinstatement of the quota system] was the immediate trigger for the protests, but after that, there were enough people unhappy about the de facto dictatorship in Bangladesh, so it became a more general revolt against the existing government.”
The quotas were almost entirely repealed on July 21. The country’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, resigned and fled the country on Aug. 5.
Imtiaz organized a candlelight protest at McGill University on July 21 in support of Bangladeshi students. According to him, approximately 150 people were present, mostly from the Bangladeshi diaspora in Montreal. He had the idea to organize a candlelight protest after attending another protest organized by Concordia’s Bangladeshi Graduate Student Association a few days prior.
“During and after that event we and some other friends were discussing, [saying] we should hold a protest to remember, in solidarity to all the martyrs, kind of like a candlelight protest,” he said. “No chanting, no nothing. Mostly just musical, some music and country-specific songs just to remember our martyrs.”
He remembers it being a very moving experience for everyone present that night.
“I didn’t realize it was going to be so many people,” said Imtiaz. “I made sure that they were using red scarves and headbands, and that they all carried candles. Everyone was so excited, and so angered, sad, like mixed emotions throughout the board.”
The candlelight vigil also occurred when the government cut off internet access across Bangladesh, between July 18 and 23. Imtiaz described that period as a horrible experience, as he and his wife were not able to stay in contact with their families and friends who still live in Bangladesh.
“During the whole protest, we were always in constant connection to them, and the moment the internet was cut off, it was a complete blackout,” he said. “And knowing the sheer severity our authoritarian, autocratic government was capable of … It was a constant, frightening experience. I was always in shock. Maybe today, my mom would not pick up the phone. Maybe today, I will not hear back from my dad.”
Nonetheless, he is hopeful that the interim government, led by former Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, will steer the country back to democracy—a vision shared by Subramanian.
“Having somebody like him heading the interim government, it’s probably better than if they had had, just, say, a military general in power,” he said. “It will make the government more acceptable, both within Bangladesh and among other governments.”
