The Henry Jackson Society has identified at least 27 UK universities where student societies or affiliated groups have posted tributes, organised commemorations or shared material mourning the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Evidence compiled by the think tank shows that student groups – primarily Ahlul-Bayt or similarly aligned Islamic societies – have shared messages referring to Khamenei as a “martyr”, organised memorial events, or circulated content praising the Iranian regime.

Universities where such activity has been recorded include University College London, Cambridge, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Southampton, Surrey, Cardiff, Glasgow, Brunel, Kingston, Westminster, Kings 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”.

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, 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.”