While the government observed a day of national mourning on July 30, 2024, thousands of Bangladeshis turned social media red in a symbolic act of defiance, rejecting the official observance and vowing to mourn only when justice was served. Leaders and supporters of the then ruling Awami League, however, responded by turning their profile pictures black. The protest soon moved beyond social media. At Jahangirnagar University, teachers from different departments marched silently with red cloths covering their mouths to protest the killings, arrests, and alleged torture of students and ordinary citizens. More than 50 teachers and students at North South University formed a human chain in solidarity.