Newsroom
Students at Bekirpaşa High School in the occupied areas made a bold statement on Monday, showing up to class dressed in black T-shirts to support their teachers in an ongoing dispute over a controversial new rule allowing headscarves in schools.
The peaceful protest, shared widely on social media under the slogan “Put on the T-shirt and come,” follows rising tensions at the school since a student wearing a headscarf attended class last week. In response, teachers refused to enter the classroom, and the lesson was cancelled.
The story was first reported by Kıbrıs Postası, which published a photo of the students in black. According to the paper, this isn’t the first time students at the school have rallied around the issue. Just last Friday, they launched a separate campaign called “Put on your slippers and come,” where many turned up at school wearing slippers as a playful but pointed gesture.
This time, the tone was more serious. A message circulated among students ahead of Monday’s action urged them to “cover yourselves in black, as they are trying to do to your country!” It added, “Do not remain silent! Do not forget Atatürk; do not let him be forgotten! The future is in your hands!”
The headscarf regulation, recently approved, has sparked debate across the community, with some saying it threatens the secular principles of the school system, while others defend it as a matter of personal freedom.
