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Iranian soccer players and fans protested at the World Cup in solidarity with anti-government demonstrations back home
At the World Cup on Monday, the Iranian national team stayed silent as their national anthem played before its first group match against England, openly defying the country's besieged Islamist regime. Expressions of solidarity were also seen in the stands, where fans held up protest signs that read "woman, life, freedom" and photos of protesters killed by security forces.
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.
Although England routed Iran 6–2, the protests carried weight for Iranian fans, especially for women, who are barred from watching soccer matches at home. The Iranian national team previously faced criticism for meeting with President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline extremist, before leaving for the World Cup. But ahead of their match Monday, team captain Ehsan Hajsafi publicly voiced his support for the protesters.
"We have to accept that conditions in our country are not right. Our people are not happy," Hajsafi said at a pre-match conference. "We are here, but it does not mean that we should not be their voice or we must not respect them."
More on the World Cup’s human rights controversy
The 2022 World Cup kickoff has been overshadowed by controversies involving FIFA's decision to award host duties to Qatar, despite the country's sordid human rights record. Its government has faced intense criticism for its treatment of migrant laborers — who make up about 90% of the country's population — and its draconian anti-LGBTQ stance.
Qatar has spent 12 years building the infrastructure to support the massive international sporting event. Last year, the Guardian calculated that at least 6,500 migrant workers, most of whom worked on World Cup infrastructure projects, have died since 2010.
SNAPSHOTS
How a shooter shattered a typical Saturday night at a Colorado Springs gay bar, and how people fought back. "I just know I got into mode and I needed to save my family, and that family at that time was everybody in that room," said Richard Fierro, who restrained the shooter at Club Q on Saturday.
Many Idaho student killing theories have been disproven. Here's what we actually know. No arrests have been made, no suspect has been identified, and any motive remains unknown — but that hasn't stopped people from speculating.
Tumblr is obsessed with a 1973 Scorsese movie that doesn't exist. And so began the rich textual analysis of Goncharov.
At least 6 people were killed in Virginia after a shooter opened fire in a Walmart
At least six people have been confirmed dead after a shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, on Tuesday night. Multiple people are believed to have been wounded and receiving medical attention.
The unnamed assailant in the shooting was also found dead at the store, although how they died is yet to be confirmed. At a news conference Wednesday morning, police confirmed the suspect was a Walmart employee.
This shooting comes just days after a gunman opened fire at Club Q, a gay bar in Colorado Springs, killing five and leaving at least 18 people injured before being taken down by two patrons. As of Nov. 23, at least 39,696 people have died from gun violence this year, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive.
This is a developing story. Check back here for updates and follow BuzzFeed News on Twitter.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Yellowstone is the most important drama on TV right now
Yellowstone may not be television’s best show, but because of its extraordinary popularity and its willingness to play with the existential crises over land, identity, and power, there is little doubt that it is America’s most important drama right now, Elamin Abdelmahmoud writes.
Yellowstone follows John Dutton, played by a gruff and grave Kevin Costner, a sixth-generation Montana rancher desperately trying to fend off the forces threatening to take the titular ranch — be it the city slicker gentrifiers, the neighboring (fictional) Native American tribe, or the various elements of government. In its relatively short existence, Yellowstone has become America’s most-watched TV show — last week’s Season 5 premiere averaged 16 million viewers, making it the most-watched TV show of this year and the highest cable season premiere since The Walking Dead in 2017.
Watching Yellowstone, I am regularly surprised at how much I am moved by a rich man’s plight to hold on to his ranch. The series shows clearly that these people murder and undermine people far too much for them to be worth rooting for morally. But is the series about heroes? Or about the unrelenting cruelty of reality? Yellowstone deftly explores these questions along with a bigger, primal, more eternal fight: the push and pull over who owns land and who is trying to take it away, and what the land means for the people who live on it.
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