“Let Us Enter Our Stadiums!”

As Iran’s national team played Russia in Florence on July 16, demonstrators demanded an end to the ban on women watching sport in Iran.

European and Iranians held signs and placards denouncing the ban and calling for the support of the international community. The protest is part of a campaign to show solidarity with Iranian sports fans and raise awareness around gender inequality in Iran.

In June, women were refused entry to Tehran’s Azadi Stadium, where Iran’s volleyball team played Brazil.  A few days earlier, just before the World Cup got underway, authorities instructed cinemas and coffeshops to refrain from broadcasting football matches if women formed part of their clientele.