The East Azerbaijan Bar Association issued a statement on January 26, condemning the "racist chants in Iranian stadiums and the widespread wave of humiliation against Turks" following events that took place at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium.
On January 26, during a match between Tabriz’s Tractor Sazi and Tehran’s Persepolis at Azadi Stadium, Persepolis fans chanted degrading slogans against Turks.
The word "donkey" used by Persepolis fans at Tehran's stadium on Sunday had previously been published in FIFA's documents as an example of racial discrimination.
Turkish activists and social media users launched a campaign to contact FIFA regarding the incident. Users sharing the hashtag #FIFA_hear_our_voice urged the International Football Federation (FIFA) to take measures to end racism in Iranian football.
In the statement published by the East Azerbaijan Bar Association, it was noted, "The ethnic and racial insults we see against Iran's Turkish citizens in stadiums, especially during the recent Tractor-Perspolis game, cause regret and sorrow."
The statement, published on the Nasr News website based in Tabriz, called for the enactment of necessary laws to put an end to ethnic and racial insults.
The Bar Association's petition also stated, "These insults are the result of the denial of languages and cultures in Iranian society. Our education system denies and ignores the rights of ethnic communities, refusing to implement language rights. Naturally, this creates division and separation within society."
The Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network, which operates under the patronage of UEFA and FIFA, drew attention to racist chants against Turks by Iranian fans in stadiums in a report released in June 2017.
FARE’s document mentioned slogans such as "Turkish donkey," "Donkey, get lost!", "There is no braying from the donkeys!" and "The Turkish donkeys are silent!"I am an Iranian Turk and I know how racism slap you in your daily life in Iran. But please let us enjoy the soccer game. Dont take your dirty racism to soccer games.#fifa_hear_our_voice to stop racism in soccer games
— SevilSuleymani (@SevilSuleymani) January 29, 2020
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Şərqi Azərbaycan Vəkillər Birliyi türklərin təhqir edilməsini qınayıb