Protests in Iran continue to rage, and this time the national water polo team wanted to express their dissatisfaction. The team was in Thailand to take part in the Asian Championships, and on Tuesday they were supposed to meet with India, but when the national anthem sounded, all the athletes remained silent.
The silence of the athletes was perceived by dozens of netizens as yet another manifestation of dissatisfaction with Tehran’s policies. The moment has been shared on social media and already contains thousands of messages of solidarity. Reuters.
“This is one of the most radical acts ever committed by the Iranian national water polo team. We recognize teams that support people and thank you for your support,” wrote an anonymous Twitter user.
But this was not the first time that athletes have used their fame in international competitions to draw the attention of the world press to the situation in Iran.
The first athlete to speak out was climber Elnaz Rekabi, who in South Korea competed bareheaded (which is mandatory for female athletes). Returning to Iran, Rekabi apologized for what she had done and justified herself by saying that she was too worried about the race, forgetting her hijab.
Also last week in Dubai, the beach soccer team decided not to sing the anthem in the semi-finals where they faced the United Arab Emirates and when they won the game against Brazil they chose not to celebrate the feat. The Iranian Beach Soccer Federation later classified the athletes’ behavior as “reckless”.
The demonstrations in the country were motivated by the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who was detained by the vice police for allegedly violating the dress code. In Tehran alone, more than a thousand people were found to have started “riots” and the HRANA news agency says at least 321 protesters have died so far this Monday. Of these, an estimated 50 were minors and 38 belonged to the security forces. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 51 journalists have already been detained in the country for covering events.
Author: SATURDAY
Source: CM Jornal
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