Silently or loudly, famous Iranians show their support for the protests against the regime

This Monday, at the World Cup in Qatar, Iranian footballers refused to sing their country’s national anthem. In Tehran, two famous actresses were arrested over the weekend for defiantly taking off their veils. Y at least nine prominent Iranians were summoned for questioning for daring to criticize the authorities.

More and more Iranians prominent figures making public gestures of support for the protests that have ravaged the country over the past two months, posting photos and messages critical of the government on social media or ignoring the country’s strict hijab laws.

In the most dramatic event, broadcast all over the world, the Iranian national football team remained silent as the national anthem played before a match against England on Monday, while some Iranian fans in the stands sang the pre-revolutionary national anthem instead.

Fans carrying pre-revolutionary flags – considered a symbol of protest against Iran’s theocratic rule – were barred from entering the Qatar stadium for Iran’s opening match against England unless they handed them over.

the actresses

At least one fan raised a flag “Woman! Life! Freedom!” during the match, and some Iranian fans were heard chanting “no honour,” both slogans adopted by protesters in Iran to condemn the regime and the Iranian security forces.

The demonstrations at the World Cup highlighted the extent to which many famous Iranians, including artists, musicians and athletesthey came out publicly in support of the protest movement.

Anger over restrictions on women’s clothing and their enforcement helped fuel the protests. have been activated after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish girl who was arrested by the morality police in September after being accused of violating the headscarf law. But they have morphed into broader calls to end the Islamic Republic.

About 15,000 Iranians have been arrested and several hundred have died after two months of protests and a strong crackdown by authorities in dozens of cities across Iran, according to rights groups.

Many senior Iranians, including musicians, artists and journalists, have been targeted by authorities for speaking out in support of protesters, in what appears to be an effort to undermine the momentum of the largely leaderless movement.

Two prominent actresses, Hengameh Ghaziani and Katayoun Riahi, were arrested on Sunday for removing their headscarves and participating in protests, according to state media. The plaintiffs were charged with “collusion with intent to act against state security” and “propaganda against the state,” Iran’s state news agency IRNA said.

In a statement posted on his personal Instagram account on Saturday, Ghaziani, 52, denounced the government for its crackdown on young people who joined the demonstrations.

“How many children, adolescents and young people have been killed, isn’t the shedding of blood enough?” he said in his post. “I hate you and your legendary reputation.”

“This could be my last post”He added.

Ghaziani was arrested the next day, hours after uploading another video, from the streets of Tehran, in which she is seen staring defiantly at the camera without covering her head, before turning away from her and tying a ponytail in her hair.

“From this moment on, whatever happens, know that I will be with the people of Iran until my last breath,” he wrote in the post, which sparked a wave of support and concern for his fate on social media.

Ghaziani was taken to the prosecutor’s office hours later by security personnel, who said the charges against her included “contact with opposition and counter-revolutionary media”according to IRNA.

Riahi, 60, also detained on Sunday, publicly removed her hijab in mid-September in an Instagram post and for an interview with Iran International TV, in which she said she had always opposed the law and was willing to “show the truth”.

Security forces detained her at her villa in Qazvinnorthwest of Tehran, according to the semi-official Tasmin news agency.

Several well-known Iranians, including “five movie personalities,” were summoned by the prosecution on Saturday for posting “unverified comments on recent events, as well as for the publication of provocative material in support of the street riots,” according to the Mizan news agency, owned by the Iranian judiciary.

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The agency did not provide the total number of players called up, but did name nine people.

During the demonstrations, directors and actors from all over the famous film industry of the country has come out publicly in support of themchallenging the widespread crackdown on the film industry that preceded Amini’s death.

The Iranian regime’s relationship with its internationally acclaimed film industry has historically been complicated, as it has sought to take credit for the industry’s success abroad, while simultaneously monitoring its messages and reach.

“We, as filmmakers, we have faced many red lines in recent yearsfor example, banning topics such as killing children and violence against them,” the Iran Short Film Association said last week, adding that such scenes of violence are now being played out on the streets of their cities. of the government.

“From now on we will live and work in reality.”

Actress Taraneh Alidoosti garnered global attention earlier this month after appearing in an Instagram post sans a veil holding a banner that read, “Woman! Life! Freedom!”

Last week, Asghar Farhadi, the acclaimed Iranian director, has joined the chorus of condemnations for the death of a 10-year-old boyKian Pirfalak, who was killed when his family car was hit by automatic weapons.

“They will pay for the blood of these pure children they killed,” Farhadi said in an Instagram post.

The film industry isn’t the only entertainment sector caught up in the crackdown.

At least 19 Iranian artists have been arrested since the protests began, according to a list compiled by the Iran Center for Human Rights, a New York-based advocacy group.

Toomaj Salehi, a rapper arrested after releasing music in support of the protests, has been detained since late October in Tehran’s Evin prison complex, known for widespread human rights violations.

Iranian athletes of various sports have apparently made gestures in recent competitions that have been interpreted as support for nationwide protests, led by women.

Climber Elnaz Rekabi competed without wearing the hijab in South Korea in October. (He later said it wasn’t intentional, though many believe his explanation was done under duress by the Iranian authorities).

In an international beach soccer competition in early November, Saeed Piramoon scored the winning goal for Iran and raised both hands above his headmimicking the haircut that some women did rebelliously in protests.

But football, and the beloved Equipo Melli, as the national team is known, was perhaps the biggest sport to be hit by the protests.

One of the people summoned for questioning by Tehran authorities over the weekend he was an old defender of the Iranian national team, Yahya Golmohammadi.

Players of the Iranian national team and their local soccer league recently encouraged themselves to support the protests by not singing the country’s national anthem and refusing to celebrate goals scored. This attitude extended to Monday’s World Cup match against England, which Iran lost 6-2. Iranian players have not celebrated any of their goals.

In a press conference on Sunday, Ehsan Hajsafi, captain of the team, said: “We have to accept that the conditions in our country are not right and Our people are not happy.”

“We’re here, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be their voice, or that we shouldn’t respect them,” he added.

Carlos Queiroz, the Portuguese coach of the Iranian team, told reporters last week that the players they were free to protest “provided it complies with World Cup regulations and is in the spirit of the game.”

The players are in a difficult position. Demonstrations of activism carry the risk of reprisals from the Iranian authorities, especially for players who have to go home play in local Iranian soccer league.

Failure to show solidarity with the protests could lead to harsh criticism from fans; many do not believe that Iran should participate in this World Cup due to the unrest in the country. Some activists have called for Iran to be banned from participating in the tournament.

More recently, some fans were outraged when photos surfaced of gamers posing frivolously and celebratory as children were killed during the protests.

“Iran is a nation of football fansbut I think in a few decades what Iranians will remember most from this World Cup will not be who played well, but who showed their heart,” said Karim Sadjadpour, Iran expert and member of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace , in a recent email statement.

With Jere Longman. The New York Times