Demonstrations of joy in Iran after the elimination of the national team from the World Cup
An Iranian supporter during the broadcast of the national team's match against the United States on November 29, 2022. AFP - ATTA KENARE
Text by: RFI Follow
3 mins
Against a backdrop of contested power since the death of young Mahsa Amini in September, protesters have openly rejoiced at the elimination of their team after their 1-0 defeat against the United States.
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Protesters in Iran set off fireworks on Tuesday to celebrate their national team's World Cup defeat to the United States, their country's sworn enemy, according to videos posted on social media.
"
Citizens of Saqez started shooting fireworks after USA's first goal against Iran soccer team
," the London-based Iran Wire website posted on Twitter.
The site shared a video showing fireworks with cheers in the background.
Some Iranians have thus chosen to applaud the elimination of a national team which they accuse of not having supported the Iranian demonstrators enough.
In their first World Cup game,
the Iranian players were silent when their national anthem sounded
, but the next game they sang it.
Fireworks in several provinces
Iranian authorities are maintaining heavy security in the country against what they say are 'riots' that erupted after the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini on September 16, three days after her arrest for allegedly violating Iran's mandatory dress code for women.
His hometown of Saqez, along with other towns in the western province of Kurdistan, are hotbeds of protests against the clerical regime.
Another nighttime video by Kurdish activist Kaveh Ghoreishi showed a neighborhood in the town of Sanandaj with cheers and honking after the United States scored the only goal of the encounter.
Fireworks were also set off in Mahabad, another city in Kurdistan, after the defeat of Iran, according to videos shared on the internet.
Norway-based human rights group Hengaw said Iranian motorists celebrated the US victory by honking their horns in Mahabad.
According to this organization, fireworks also lit up the sky of Marivan, another city in the province of Kurdistan where the security forces have carried out a harsh crackdown on demonstrators in recent days.
At least 448 people killed since the start of the protest
Fireworks and shouts of joy were also heard in Paveh and Sarpol-e Zahab, in the province of Kermanshah, according to the same source.
“
Who would have ever thought that I would be happy with America's goal!
tweeted Iranian gaming journalist Saeed Zafarany after his country's loss.
Podcaster Elahe Khosravi also tweeted: "
They lost to the people, to the opponent and even
" to the government.
“
They lost.
On and off the pitch
,” Iranian journalist Amir Ebtehaj tweeted.
The victory of the United States excluded Iran from the World Cup.
“
And the Islamic Republic football team circus is over
,” tweeted former journalist Hamid Jafari.
According to the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights, at least 448 people have been killed by Iranian security forces in a crackdown that has lasted more than two months.
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