BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • BBC Trending

Iran recalls 1999 and Algeria ponders 'No'

  • Published
    11 July 2017
Share page
About sharing
Students demonstrate in the centre of Tehran 10 July 1999Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

The protests of 10 July 1999 followed overnight clashes between security forces and students, which killed three students and injured two

By Patrick Evans
BBC News

The hashtag #18Tir is being used by Iranians to mark the anniversary of the July 1999 Student Protests, while Twitter in Algeria debates whether official documents should be written in French.

On 9 July that year police and right-wing vigilantes stormed a Tehran University dormitory, external which students were occupying to protest against the banning of the pro-reform Salam newspaper.

Riots followed in Tehran and Tabriz, and students were beaten and detained by police and hardliners. At least five students were reportedly killed.

Although Ayatollah Khamenei condemned the raid, the main perpetrators went unpunished.

@najafi_tehrani tweeted: "9 July is a bitter day. It is the turning point of the students' movement and the day when students were unfairly beaten up by inwardly blind plainclothesmen"Image source, @najafi_tehrani / Twitter
Image caption,

Translation: "9 July is a bitter day. It is the turning point of the students' movement and the day when students were unfairly beaten up by inwardly blind plainclothesmen"

Pro-reform cleric Abolfazl Najafi-Tehrani tweeted, external: "18 Tir [9 July] is a bitter day. It is the turning point of the students' movement and the day when students were unfairly beaten up by inwardly blind plainclothesmen"

The hashtag has been used nearly 9,000 times in the past two days, peaking around Sunday afternoon.

How the BBC reported the protests in 1999:

  • Khatami at the crossroads , external

  • Iran's divided society, external

  • Student power in Iran, external

Twitter is officially blocked in Iran but people use Virtual Private Networks to bypass the filtering.

In 2009, protests against the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad saw social media in Iran, external used as a platform of organisation.

Despite warning from the authorities many people still use Twitter. Ironically, Iranian officials, including the Supreme Leader, external, the president, and ministers are active on it.

You might like:

  • The anti-immigration party trying to recruit immigrants

  • Why you should ignore the Jayden K Smith Facebook hoax

  • Klansman with dreadlocks astonishes Twitter

Mostafa Mohamadi tweeted: This mother is waiting for his son "Saeed Zeinali" about 18 years 18 years of waiting is hard #Iran #Students #18tir #سعید_زینالی #ProtestsImage source, @MostafaMe4

Many tweets mentioned Saeed Zeinali, a student who was arrested at his house during the unrest and is still missing 18 years later.

"18 years of waiting is hard," tweeted, external London-based activist Mostafa Mohamadi.

line

Algeria: #No_to_French

Algerian Twitter users are expressing their opposition to the use of French on official documentation using the hashtag #No_to_French_on_official_documents.

The hashtag has been used nearly 12,000 times since 10 July, including more than 4,000 tweets in four hours on Monday. This is a large level of interaction in Algeria, which has a fairly small number of Twitter users compared to Facebook, the country's main social media platform.

French is not an official language of the country but is used frequently in government and in the media, given its history as a colony of France.

The other major language of Algeria is Berber.

  • Algeria country profile

@ALG0202 tweeted: "When the national anthem was written in blood, it wasn't written in the language of the occupier."Image source, @ALG0202 / Twitter
Image caption,

Translation: "When the national anthem was written in blood, it wasn't written in the language of the occupier."

"When the national anthem was written in blood, it wasn't written in the language of the occupier," tweeted , external@ALG0202

Other users echoed this sentiment. "The first official language is Arabic, whether you like it or not," wrote another user, external.

The question is: "Does France use Arabic in its official documents?!" asked , external@Thewolf_eye73.

Meanwhile, @Love_Dido_Love was positive about all languages, French, Arabic and Tamazight (Berber), external.

However, many in Algeria have been questioning the worth of the issue. "As if this was our biggest problem," tweeted one person, external.

By the UGC and Social News team; Additional reporting by BBC Monitoring

More on this story

  • Trump mocked in Iran cartoon contest

    • Published
      4 July 2017
    An Iranian woman looks at cartoons of US President Donald Trump at an exhibition of the Islamic Republic's 2017 International Trumpism cartoon and caricature contest, in the capital Tehran on 3 July 2017
  • Woman asked to stop Iran Olympic protest

    • Published
      14 August 2016
    Darya Safai cries as she is asked to drop her protest sign (13 August 2016)

Top stories

  • Live. 

    Trump denies he wrote lewd birthday note for Epstein as he asks for release of court papers

    • 26877 viewing27k viewing
  • Live. 

    Pupil who died in school coach crash was boy, 10, with six children still in hospital

    • 10935 viewing11k viewing
  • Israel levelling thousands of Gaza civilian buildings in controlled demolitions

More to explore

  • 'There were bodies everywhere': Druze residents describe 'bloodbath' in Syrian city Suweida

    A health worker and other men walk in a hospital courtyard, past the bodies of victims of the recent clashes in Syria's southern city of Suweida on 17 July 2025
  • How history-chasing Italy can threaten England at Euro 2025

    • Attribution
      Sport
    Italy celebrate after reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2025 with victory over Norway
  • Kill Russian soldiers, win points: Is Ukraine's new drone scheme gamifying war?

    A Ukrainian soldier wears a headset to pilot a drone
  • Israel levelling thousands of Gaza civilian buildings in controlled demolitions

    A promotional image for a BBC Verify story with branding. A soldier with his head turned away from the camera can be seen in the middle. On either side of him are images of destroyed buildings.
  • Relentless immigration raids are changing California's way of life

    Two protesters in dust masks film federal troops in gas masks in a field of crops in Southern California. One protester flies a Mexican flag
  • Weekly quiz: Why is Kew Garden's Palm House closing?

    Interior view of the Palm House at Kew.
  • How bad is Afghan data breach for MI6 and SAS?

    Two poppy wreaths lie in front of a stone memorial that has Afghanistan written on it.
  • 'Reserved in the womb' and sold for £500: Police bust baby trafficking ring

    A baby's feet held in an adult's hand. Only the feet and the adult's hands are visible
  • Summer Essential: Your family’s guide to the summer, delivered to your inbox every Tuesday

    concentric circles ranging from orange to yellow to represent the sun, with a blue sky background
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    Doctor and husband jailed for selling stolen PPE on eBay

  2. 2

    Police drop investigation into Kneecap's Glastonbury performance

  3. 3

    Trusting The Salt Path author was our biggest mistake, family says

  4. 4

    Officers attacked at hotel protest, say police

  5. 5

    Amber weather warning issued as thunderstorms and flooding to cause significant disruption

    • Attribution
      Weather
  6. 6

    What is Trump's vein condition and how serious is it?

  7. 7

    Teenager killed after car crashes into house

  8. 8

    Unique 1.5m year-old ice to be melted to unlock mystery

  9. 9

    Serious water pollution incidents up 60% in England, Environment Agency says

  10. 10

    Germany's Merz tells BBC Europe was free-riding on US

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Martin Scarsden faces a new mystery

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Scrublands S2
  • Sinister events in an old Spanish town

    • Attribution
      Sounds
    Uncanny: Summer Specials
  • Ghosts US returns for series 4

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Ghosts US S4
  • What does it take to build the perfect athlete?

    • Attribution
      Sounds
    The Infinite Monkey Cage
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.