No sooner has the World Cup in Qatar started than one scandal follows another. After FIFA sparked a global debate before the match between England and Iran by banning the “One Love” bracelet on Monday, the following incident occurred after the match.
Qatari police reportedly arrested an Iranian woman after the game in Doha. The reason: Hila Yadgar had shown “a false flag” in the stadium in protest against the Iranian regime. That reports “Bild”, citing the journalist Pouria Zeraati, who made the case public on Twitter.
The woman was not impressed by the arrest
In the center of the flag, instead of the red national emblem of Iran, a lion with a saber and a sun was depicted. The spectator thus sets a good example in protest against the Islamist system. The lion and sun were part of the Iranian flag before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
According to the journalist, the local police arrested Yadgar on the grounds of the stadium. A video from the journalist shows how the woman is surrounded by police officers. An hour later, the activist could breathe a sigh of relief: the officials let her and her companions go.
The next time, according to the journalist, the police officers would not close their eyes. However, Yadgar and her Iranian friends did not seem particularly impressed by the threat: In a group photo, they waved the flag again shortly after their release.
However, Yadgar was far from the only one to protest at the match against Iran: when the Iranian national anthem played, the Iranian ranks fell silent. Neither the players, nor the spectators, nor Iran’s employees sang along with the national anthem. While the move was praised worldwide and seen as a strong political signal against the ruthless regime in Iran, the government there threatened consequences for the players. (dzc)