Students at 27 UK universities mourn death of 'brutal' Ayatollah Khamenei as campuses breed 'extremism'

Universities where such activity has been recorded include University College London, Cambridge, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Southampton, Surrey, Cardiff, Glasgow, Brunel, Kingston, Westminster, King's College London and Imperial College London, among others.

Some societies organised commemorative events on campus, while others posted condolence graphics, shared vigil material or cancelled events “in honour of our beloved Shuhada”.

Ali Khamenei, former supreme leader of the Iranian regime, was killed in the first weekend of the Middle East conflict after US intelligence determined his whereabouts and struck the leader, whose son is set to take on the mantle.

The Ahlul-Bayt Islamic Society at University College London posted a condolence graphic, which read "condolences on the martyrdom of Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei", and promoted an on‑campus event "commemorating the fallen".

Elsewhere, QMUL Ahlulbayt Society at Queen Mary University of London shared a portrait of Khamenei accompanied by a prayer asking angels "to watch over" Iran’s future.

Meanwhile, Leeds Ahlulbayt Islamic Society at The University of Leeds posted: "With deep sorrow and grief, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the noble people of Iran and to Muslims everywhere on the martyrdom of the supreme leader of Islamic Republic of Iran, his eminence Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei".

The Sheffield AhlulBayt Society at The University of Sheffield directed students to an Absoc Mental Health post, and reshared content from Zahraa Subeiti featuring an image of Khamenei and the words: "Our leaders are martyrs and our martyrs are leaders and Al-Quds is the axis of the Hereafter".

Additionally, the Ahlul Bayt Islamic Society at Imperial College London posted a quote from Khamenei, affiliated with City Absoc which posted mourning content.

Another example witnessed is the Ahlul Bayt Society at King's College London, who held a National MSC conference on campus, with the reported sale of the Khamenei autobiography and a book about an IRGC fighter - bookmarks with slogans such as "our leader is Seyyed Ali" and "In the path of Khomeini we march" were reportedly distributed.

The findings come as the Government announced new measures aimed at tackling extremism and radicalisation on British campuses, including updated guidance requiring universities to carry out risk checks on external speakers, stronger requirements to report concerns through the Prevent programme, and new powers for the Office for Students to act as a whistleblowing body for staff reporting wrongdoing.

The Henry Jackson Society is calling for universities and the Department for Education to urgently review how student societies are monitored and funded, and to ensure that groups operating on campus are not promoting or legitimising organisations linked to extremist ideology or hostile states.

Emma Schubart, Research Fellow at The Henry Jackson Society, said: "It is extraordinary that student societies across at least 27 British universities have openly mourned the leader of one of the world’s most repressive regimes.

"Ayatollah Khamenei presided over a Government responsible for brutal repression at home and the sponsorship of terrorism abroad.

"Seeing him described as a ‘martyr’ and honoured on UK campuses should concern anyone who cares about democratic values.

"The Government is right to recognise that extremism and radicalisation remain serious problems within parts of the university sector - but these cases show just how deeply the issue runs.

"Universities must ensure their campuses are not being used as platforms to glorify authoritarian regimes or spread extremist narratives".

Beyond the fear of growing extremism on university campuses up and down the UK, many student groups are also closing the door on debate to said ideologies, with the debating society at Bangor University recently refusing a request by Reform UK to hold a Q&A session with students due to its "zero tolerance" hate policy.

Run by students through Bangor Students' Union, the group said they had "zero tolerance for any form of racism, transphobia, or homophobia displayed by the members of Reform UK".

Zia Yusuf, head of policy for Reform UK, condemned the society's decision, threatening to cut funding to the entire university if Nigel Farage's party win the next general election.