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| Tabriz Sahand Stadium |
The new slogans voiced by the fans of Tabriz's 'Traktor' team in protest against the ban on women entering stadiums in Iran have drawn the attention of social media users.
In widely shared footage on social media, hundreds of fans in Tabriz stadium chanted slogans defending gender equality:
"My mother, my sister, my wife, you are a woman, a woman!
Men and women are equal, brothers.
Being in the field is your right, your right!
Turkish woman, rise! Turkish woman, take your rights!"
For several years, the supporters of 'Traktor' in Iranian Azerbaijan have voiced slogans and organized campaigns protesting the ban on women entering stadiums.
In recent weeks, the issue of women's right to attend stadiums in Iran has resurfaced following the suicide of Sahar Khodayari, a female fan of Tehran's 'Esteghlal' team. She had attempted to enter the stadium dressed as a man and was arrested by authorities. After being sentenced to six months in prison, Sahar Khodayari took her own life. She died in the hospital on September 8 at the age of 29.
Following the death of the "Blue Girl," campaigns by 'Traktor' fans protesting the ban on women entering stadiums have begun to attract the attention of Iranian political activists for the first time.
"Is this true? Are Traktor fans chanting for women's entry into stadiums?" asked well-known journalist Farnaz Ghazizadeh, who works for BBC Persian, in a Twitter post on September 10.
Previously, women attempting to enter football matches in Tabriz dressed as men had been arrested by security forces. Agencies reporting on the detention of women have not provided further information about their fate.
In recent years, female fans who have watched 'Traktor' games from the hills surrounding Tabriz stadium have been detained by Iranian police.
The supporters of Tabriz's 'Traktor' football team, known as a symbol of "Turkish identity" in Iran, have also chanted slogans and displayed banners advocating for education in the Turkish language, supporting political prisoners, and protesting against the "drying up of Lake Urmia."
Link to the original news: https://www.amerikaninsesi.org/a/tractor-fc-fans-supporting-women-rights/5094569.html