This day traces back to tragic events in Czechoslovakia in 1939, when Nazi forces stormed Prague's universities following anti-occupation student protests, executing nine student leaders and deporting more than 1,200 students to concentration camps. On November 17, 1941, at a meeting of exiled Czechoslovak students in London, fourteen nations signed a proclamation designating this date as International Students' Day, honoring the victims and rejecting oppression. Over time, the day's meaning broadened to celebrate student communities and cultural diversity worldwide, while remaining a symbol of peaceful resistance and the defense of free expression and education. Some universities now mark it as a non-political celebration of multiculturalism among their international students. Student events on this day include seminars on free expression and education, cultural gatherings bringing together students from diverse backgrounds, and commemorative events in Prague and across Europe honoring the Czech students.