Actors and athletes in Iran are supporting the protests. Here's how
Despite a deadly crackdown, Iran's anti-regime protests, which are now in their eighth week, are showing no signs of slowing down.
What's happening with Iran now?
The death toll has gone past 300. However, these deaths are fueling more protests against the Iranian regime. More and more people are joining the protests including prominent actors, doctors and athletes.
Iranian celebs supporting the protests:
- On Wednesday, Taraneh Alidoosti, best known for her work on the Oscar-winning film "The Salesman", posted a photo of herself on Instagram without a headscarf. The main slogan of the protest marches that have been taking place in Iran and abroad for the past eight weeks is "Jin, Jiyan, Azadi" or "Woman, Life, Freedom," which the artist was seen holding up in her post.
In addition to posting an Instagram photo, Alidoosti, who has previously written numerous posts on her Instagram criticising the clerical rule, also included lyrics of a song by musician Shahyar Ghanbari. She expressed her support for the demonstrations by reading the poem, which begins like: "Your final absence, the migration of singing birds, is not the end of this uprising."
From the beginning, at least five prominent actors have shown their support for the protesters, reported to Reuters.
- Two more Iranian actresses, Donya Madani and Khazar Ma'soomi also uploaded pictures of themselves earlier on Thursday (November 10, 2022).
Donya Madani, in her post, while not wearing a hijab, said: "I am who I am right now, and that is who I see in the mirror. I'll stand up for freedom, life, and women."
On Thursday, actresses from Iran, Azadeh Bizargiti, Mina Akbari, and Maryam Yavari also posted photos without hijab.
Athletes support Iran protesters:
Several athletes were also seen supporting the protesters. Iranian archer Parmida Ghasemi, unlike other athletes who defied the hijab rules when competing abroad, removed her headscarf on the podium at the end of an archery event.
Iranian athlete Parmida Qasemi, a member of Iran’s archery national team, removed her hijab during the awards ceremony of Persian Gulf Cup in Tehran before the eyes of sport officials.
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) November 10, 2022
Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi and skater Niloufar Mardani had earlier made the same move abroad. pic.twitter.com/PLVYMWuTYN
- On November 6, Niloufar Mardani, a member of the National Iranian speed skating team, accepted the top prize while standing on the podium in Turkey defying the mandatory headscarf law.
- Other athletes like pro-climber Elnaz Rekabi also created a stir by competing in the Asian Championships in South Korea without wearing a hijab or a headscarf. Later Rekabi was reported "missing" by several Western media outlets after she "disappeared" from her hotel in South Korea. Later she issued a statement that was put out on Rekabi's Instagram story which claimed that the incident was a "mistake" and that the headscarf came off by accident.
How the protests started in Iran?
Protests started in Iran after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the infamous morality police of the country. She was arrested for not wearing her hijab properly, and she died on September 16, 2022. Her death led to protests huge protests from the capital Tehran to small cities like Karaj and later moved to toher parts of the country.
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