Students of universities, schools, madrasas, and a wide range of professional and civil society organizations across Bangladesh shut down normal life on Monday in a sweeping show of solidarity with Palestine.
From early morning, campuses across Bangladesh emptied as classes and exams were suspended in support of the global “World Stops for Gaza” campaign, a bold response to Israel’s ongoing assault on the besieged strip.
What started as an online mobilization transformed into a nationwide academic and professional walkout.
Hundreds of students stage a protest at TSC, denouncing the Israeli assault on Palestine and calling for justice and peace. Photo: Ahadul Karim Khan/Dhaka Tribune
From the corridors of Dhaka University to the hilly campus of Rangamati Science and Technology University, a wave of outrage carried students and faculty into the streets—armed not with weapons, but with placards, chants and moral clarity.
“We are students, not soldiers—but we cannot stay quiet when genocide is unfolding before our eyes,” said Sharmin Jahan, a third-year International Relations student at Jahangirnagar University.
She added: “This is not just about Gaza. It’s about refusing to normalize injustice.”
At Dhaka University, the administration officially suspended all classes and exams, with offices shuttered for two hours in a rare move of institutional solidarity.
Students stage a protest at Bangladesh University, denouncing the Israeli assault on Palestine and calling for justice and peace. Photo: Dhaka Tribune
A notice from the university’s Public Relations Office underscored the decision as a response to the “inhuman aggression” in Gaza.
Elsewhere, academic staff also stepped up.
At Jagannath University, the teachers’ association held a rally beside the Shaheed Minar at noon.
Dr Md Rois Uddin, the association’s general secretary, called the protest “a moral obligation,” adding: “The barbaric assault on Gaza cannot go unanswered.”
Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur issued a formal announcement of a solidarity rally at its Freedom Monument. “This isn’t politics—it’s principle,” said Zakir Hossain, a student of sociology.
He further said: “We are speaking out because silence is complicity.”
Hundreds of students stage a protest at TSC, denouncing the Israeli assault on Palestine and calling for justice and peace. Photo: Ahadul Karim Khan/Dhaka Tribune
Islamic University in Kushtia declared a symbolic shutdown for Wednesday, inviting all members of the campus community to participate in a unified act of protest.
The administration’s notice called it “a stand on the right side of history.”
The momentum didn’t stop with the public universities.
Students from Tangail Textile Engineering College, Pirojpur Science and Technology University and even Madrasa-e-Alia Dhaka joined the shutdown.
“Standing up for justice isn’t secular or religious—it’s human,” said Hamidul Azam, a senior madrasa student.
On Sunday night, students of various educational institutions announced the boycott of classes and exams under the slogan “No Work, No School” program on the online platform Facebook.
Thousands of people stage a protest at Jessore, denouncing the Israeli assault on Palestine and calling for justice and peace. Photo: Bangla Tribune
In a striking scene, students from Begum Badrunnesa Government Women’s College marched through the Dhaka University campus, holding bold red placards that read: “Show Israel the Red Card.”
“Genocide should not be normalized,” said Tasfia Rahman, a second-year student from college.
“We may be young, but we are not blind. The silence of the world makes our voices louder,” she said.
Beyond campus walls, professional associations and activist circles took to the streets in solidarity marches, human chains and flash rallies, filling public squares with chants demanding justice for Palestine.
