The nationwide unrest against the mullahs’ regime in Tehran is mainly carried out by women. The climber Rekabi, celebrated for her headscarf boycott, speaks up after days of silence. In Berlin, tens of thousands demonstrate against the repression.
Iranian climber Elnas Rekabi has spoken out after days of uncertainty about her fate upon her return to Tehran. She thanked her fans via Instagram, especially those who welcomed her at the airport in Tehran after her return from the Asian Championships in South Korea. The 33-year-old ended her message with the words “I, people, Iran”, which was interpreted on social media as support for the system-critical protests in Iran.
Rekabi competed in the final in Seoul without a headscarf – and then suddenly disappeared. After her return to Iran, there was speculation that it was done under duress and that she was under strict house arrest. With her performance, Rekabi became the heroine of the protests against the Islamic system and compulsory headscarves in Iran that have been going on for more than a month. After her return, the athlete apologized for the “unintentional headscarf error”. However, many observers suspected that she was forced to do so by the Ministry of Sport. At the obligatory meeting with Minister of Sport Hamid Sajadi, she again did not wear a traditional headscarf, just a sports cap.
Iran’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) is said to have assured the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the world association IFSC at a meeting that Rekabi had “no consequences” to fear. Rekabi herself wants to continue her career in the national team. It is unclear whether the Iranian Ministry of Sports will allow this.
In Berlin, thousands of people showed solidarity with the protests in Iran at a demonstration. People from many parts of Europe came together at the Berlin Victory Column. According to police estimates, around 80,000 people were on site in the afternoon. Even after the start, crowds streamed from all directions to the demonstration.
Numerous Iranians had already arrived from dozens of cities during the night and early morning to support the system-critical protests in Iran. The protests against the Islamic Republic and its authoritarian course of government have not stopped for five weeks. The demonstration was registered by the “Woman* Life Freedom Collective”, which wants to stand up against oppression and discrimination in Iran. Numerous organizations supported the call. From the Großer Stern in Berlin, the participants marched through the Berlin government district. The slogan of the protests “Woman, life, freedom” was also prominently shouted.
The mass protests in Iran were triggered by the death of the 22-year-old Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini in mid-September. The moral police had arrested her because she allegedly did not comply with the mandatory rules for wearing a headscarf. The woman died in police custody on September 16. Since her death, thousands have been demonstrating against the repressive course and the Islamic system of rule.
The well-known Iranian activist Hamed Esmaeilion had also called for the demonstration. After the death of his wife and daughter, he took part in demonstrations abroad against the Islamic Republic as an activist. His family died when a Ukrainian passenger plane was shot down near Tehran in January 2020.
