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¡HOLAAAAAAAAAAAAA, estudiantes! ☀️
Today, 17 November, students and educational institutions from all parts of the world celebrate International Students' Day. Are you curious about why this day is significant? Let's take a journey back in time and explore the historical events that led to this global observance ⏬.
28 October 1939, Prague, Czech Republic.
Students at the Charles University, also known as the University of Prague, held a demonstration to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia, which had been dissolved as a result of the Nazi occupation. The foreign totalitarian regime brutally suppressed the gathering, leading to the tragic deaths of a student, Jan Opletal and a worker, Václav Sedláček.
15 November, 1939, Prague, Czech Republic.
To mourn the death of Jan Opletal, a crowd of students joined his funeral procession through Prague’s city centre. This solemn event spontaneously transformed into a demonstration against the Nazi regime.
17 November, 1939, Prague & other cities, Czech Republic.
Unsurprisingly, the Nazi regime did not sympathise with the protesters and responded harshly. During the night of 17 November, the occupying troops stormed numerous university dormitories in Prague and other Czech towns, beating and arresting thousands of students. Nine student leaders and professors were executed without trial and 1,200 pupils were sent to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, near Berlin. Furthermore, Hitler declared the closure of all Czech universities and dormitories for three years, a direct assault on one of the core pillars of democracy, i.e. education.
A day to celebrate diversity
Soon after, many efforts were made to establish 17 November as a day of commemoration and resistance against the Nazis and among students of other nations. The first observation of the day was organised in 1941 in London by the International Students’ Council. However, what originally began as an international tribute to student political activism has since evolved into a non-partisan event that celebrates the diversity and multiculturalism that international students bring to any society.
That’s all, folks ⏹.
Happy International Students’ Day ❤!
¡Feliz Día Internacional de los/las Estudiantes ❤!