Get you up to speed: Protesters attempt to prevent Iranian women’s football team from returning home in Gold Coast
A group of protesters in the Gold Coast surrounded a bus carrying the Iranian women’s football team, allowing five members of the team to escape and seek humanitarian visas. Head coach Marziyeh Jafari stated the players wish to return to Iran as soon as possible after the team’s exit from the tournament.
A group of protesters intervened to allow five members of the Iranian women’s football team to escape their bus and seek humanitarian visas in Australia. According to Donald Trump, Australia is making a “terrible humanitarian mistake” by not allowing the team to remain in the country, urging that the US would accept them if necessary.
The five members of the Iranian women’s football team who escaped are now seeking humanitarian visas in Australia. Donald Trump has stated that if Australia does not grant asylum to the remaining players, the US will accept them.
Protesters try to stop female Iranian footballers from being forced back home | News World
A group of protesters in the Gold Coast tried again today to stop a bus carrying the Iranian women’s football team to the airport.
Other new footage appeared to show one of the players crying as she was slowly walked onto the bus by two others.
The team’s silence during the anthem before an opening loss to South Korea last week was viewed by some as an act of resistance and others as a show of mourning.
The team hasn’t clarified. They later sang and saluted during the anthem before their remaining two matches, but later, five members of the team escaped their hotel to seek asylum in Australia.
The team was knocked out of the tournament over the weekend, at which point head coach Marziyeh Jafari said the players want to come back to Iran as soon as they can, according to Australia’s national news agency, AAP.
But as their bus left, some of the team gave an ‘SOS’ hand sign to crowds outside their bus yesterday, prompting a group to stop the vehicle.
Groups of protesters surrounded the vehicle, allowing the five now refugees to escape and seek humanitarian visas.
One supporter near the bus came with a recording she said was of one of the players’ mothers, telling her daughter to stay in Australia.
Farak said she got the recording from a friend in Iran, and had planned to play it when the women’s team departed their connecting flight in Sydney.
‘I’m pretty sure if she hears this, she will want to stay,’ Farak told the Guardian.
One of the players appeared to weep as she was taken on the bus (Picture: 9News)
Not all the players were able to escape to safety in Australia, however, with one player seen weeping as she was led onto the team bus.
On Monday, Donald Trump blasted Australia on social media, saying Australia was ‘making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the … team to be forced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed.’
Trump called on Australia to grant the team asylum, adding: ‘The US will take them if you won’t.’
Less than two hours later, in another social media post, Trump praised Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, saying, ‘He’s on it! Five have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way.’
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