But there are around 40 women rights activists and some female soccer lovers who have organized a group of protest and in spite of anti-revolutionary police and their batons and jails, try to enter the stadium in national matches.
The last confrontation was yesterday when Iran national team had a friendly match with Bosnia. In the previous time, police have been attacked brutally and beaten women who wanted to enter stadium and even broke one of activists leg and broke and tore all placards so people wont know why these women are here.
This time, having the experience of previous times, women were armed with new placards: their scarfs ! In Iran wearing a scarf is obligatory and all women have to wear them and not wearing a scarf will sentenced by jail. So this time football lovers and women rights activists choosed to write their motto “Woman's share, is half of the Freedom” on their scarfs. A brilliant idea. Even women with Chador did this.
They all had a white scarf with the motto which says women must have the right to enter football stadium and also means “Why my rights is half of your rights” which resembles parts of Islam which says women rights are half of the mens.
They went to stadium by a rental bus with a brave driver because there were a high risk of police attack and arrest and even jails and beatings. They reviewed the map once more and rush out of the bus toward the stadium.
Police were there and knew about the protest. They made a circle around them fast and did not let anybody to shoot a photo or record a video. One of the activists tried to enter the stadium in spite of police forced but police attacked her and tried to arrest her but luckily with the intervention of other activists and their support, they released her.
There is no photos of this parts because Iranian police dose not let anybody (including reporters) to take any photo of their brutality.
Luckily nobody was arrested and in spite of some beatings and physical conflict everybody returned home by a shared bus safe and alive ;) In the way home, they have changed their scarfs and hanged white scarfs with freedom motto, out of bus's windows.
On of these brave women (Parastood) writes in her weblog: “Some people feel sympathy with us and some people say we are fun and brave! Lot's of people heard our voice and they have to. This is the way when we have no free media”.
And remember ! This girl can not enter stadiums anymore when she is two years older...
Photos: Maryam Ommi
Story+Photos in Farsi: Parastoo
Story+Photos in Farsi: Nasrin
Story in Farsi: Varesh
Special Thanks to www.parastood.com ! Where I've leeched the photos from ;)
