Anti-imperialism solidarity day is observed on 1 January every year in Bangladesh by

Communist Party of Bangladesh The Communist Party of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের কমিউনিস্ট পার্টি) is a Marxist–Leninist communist party in Bangladesh. History After the partitioning of India in 1947, during the 2nd ...

Workers Party of Bangladesh The Workers Party of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের ওয়ার্কার্স পার্টি) is a communist party in Bangladesh. Rashed Khan Menon is the president of the Workers Party of Bangladesh and Anisur Rahm ...

Socialist Party of Bangladesh The Socialist Party of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের সমাজতান্ত্রিক দল, abbreviated 'বাসদ', 'BASAD', or 'SPB') is an anti-revisionist Marxist-Leninist communist party in Bangladesh. The party ...

, and many other left leaning organizations.

Background

Bangladesh became an independent country on 1971 after the

Bangladesh Liberation war The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...

. Students were a vital force in struggle and war of liberation— mainly they were the people who dreamed of building a free, equitable, secular society and they had sacrificed a lot for chanting the slogans for a free country and world in highly polarized world in that time. At the end of 1972 students made mobilizations against the attack of

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

like it was being done by the students all over the world. 1 January was decided to be observed as Vietnam Solidarity day.

History

After a students’ gathering at Bat-tala students were moving in rally to give a memorandum to the American Embassy on 1 January 1973. The police tried to disperse the protesters. The police fired on the rally. Two died on the spot and many students were seriously injured.

Bangladesh Students Union Bangladesh Students' Union (BSU) was instituted in 1952. This organization is one of the leading student organizations in Bangladesh. It claims to be working for students and youth right as a secular and progressive students' organization i ...

activists Matiul Islam and Mirza Kaderul Islam died in the police firing. The incident instigated the students into starting another movement was made against this brutality. On pressure government sought apology and accepted demands of the students later in which recognizing Revolutionary Government of Vietnam was included as a point of demands. And for this movement and martyrdom Bangladesh became the first South Asian and second Asian country to recognize

Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam The Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam (PRG, vi, Chính phủ Cách mạng Lâm thời Cộng hòa Miền Nam Việt Nam), was formed on June 8, 1969, by North Vietnam as a purportedly independent shadow gover ...

on 11 February 1973.

Legacy

On 4 September 2008 a memorial sculpture in memory of Matiul Islam and Mirza Kader was inaugurated at the

National Press Club Organizations A press club is an organization for journalists and others professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press ...

. The day of the firing is marked every year by left leaning organizations in Bangladesh.

References

{{reflist Anti-imperialism in Asia Protests in Bangladesh