Iranian soccer players and fans openly defied the country’s besieged Islamist regime at the World Cup on Monday, staging bold protests in solidarity with anti-government demonstrations even in the face of potentially deadly consequences.
The Iranian national team stayed silent as their national anthem played before its first group match against England. Video posted on social media also shows Iranian fans in the crowd booing loudly as the national anthem plays.
More than 400 people — including at least 58 minors — are estimated to have been killed by security forces since protests began in September over Mahsa Amini’s death. Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, was arrested for wearing her hijab improperly and later died in the custody of the morality police. Her death sparked wide-scale protests against the oppression of women in Iran, and morphed into wider discontent and anger toward the regime.
The Iranian national team had previously faced criticism in their home country for meeting with President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline extremist, before leaving for Doha. Under Raisi’s watch, the morality police have been emboldened and security forces have cracked down violently on protesters.
