{"id":179556,"date":"2026-06-27T00:37:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T00:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/179556\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T00:37:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T00:37:12","slug":"world-cup-protesters-in-seattle-demand-change-in-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/179556\/","title":{"rendered":"World Cup protesters in Seattle demand change in Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SEATTLE – Protesters gathered near Seattle Stadium<\/a> during a World Cup match to demand democratic change for Iranians and express solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.<\/p>\n

The demonstration started in Pioneer Square<\/a> before Team Iran faced Team Egypt<\/a>. People used the global sports spotlight to draw attention to human rights issues and the actions of the Islamic Republic of Iran.<\/p>\n

Protesting with historic flags <\/p>\n

Demonstrators waved “Lion and Sun” flags, which served as Iran’s national flag prior to the 1979 revolution. The flags are being used to signal protest against the current Iranian regime and the national team.<\/p>\n

FIFA\u2019s stadium code of conduct prohibits these historic flags inside Seattle Stadium. Under the organization’s rules, only the current official flag of Iran is permitted inside the venue.<\/p>\n

Arezou Bagan, a demonstrator with Voice of Iran, explained that her opposition to the regime is deeply personal.<\/p>\n

\"Protester <\/p>\n

Protester in Seattle who is from Iran speaks about her home country’s team playing in FIFA World Cup 2026 <\/p>\n

What they’re saying:<\/p>\n

“I was 9 years old when IRGC attacked my home, my house, and they took my father and my mom both, just because they were Baha’i, different religion,” Bagan said.<\/p>\n

Bagan added that millions of people inside Iran have bravely responded to calls for change from Prince Reza Pahlavi, despite knowing they face violence from the regime.<\/p>\n

Objections to soccer match legitimacy <\/p>\n

Other demonstrators expressed concern that international sporting events can inadvertently validate the Islamic Republic’s policies.<\/p>\n

Karla Mohtashemi, also with Voice of Iran, acknowledged the difficult position of the athletes representing the country on the field.<\/p>\n

“I do feel for the players,” Mohtashemi said. “If they do not support the regime, they can’t say anything. They can’t do anything. They’re caught.”<\/p>\n

Intersection with Pride Match Day <\/p>\n

The demonstrations coincided with a designated Pride Match Day, adding another layer of significance for the protesters. Being LGBTQ+ is outlawed in both Iran and Egypt, and the football associations for both nations objected to Pride-related events at the tournament<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mohtashemi emphasized the importance of showing solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, noting the severe consequences individuals face under the current Iranian government.<\/p>\n

“I can’t believe that if you come out in Iran that you’re sentenced to death. That it’s a death sentence,” Mohtashemi said. “So, it’s very important to me to show that the Iranian people, the people, believe in you.”<\/p>\n

With the ongoing crisis and the lives lost in Iran, demonstrators stated that the Lion and Sun flags remain a symbol of their continuous fight.<\/p>\n

“I’ve got nothing but hope right now,” Mohtashemi said. “It is the one thing that I have to hold on to.”<\/p>\n

MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE <\/p>\n

The Walrus and the Carpenter in Ballard closes amid strike<\/a><\/p>\n

Couples panic, wedding plans sink due to flooded Seattle ferry venue<\/a><\/p>\n

5 King County beaches closed due to high bacteria<\/a><\/p>\n

State training hundreds of firefighters as wildfire season intensifies<\/a><\/p>\n

Maltby Cafe and its supersized cinnamon rolls to get new home<\/a><\/p>\n

To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store<\/a> or Google Play Store<\/a> for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.<\/p>\n

LGBTQ Issues<\/a>LGBTQ<\/a>FIFA World Cup<\/a>News<\/a>Seattle<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SEATTLE – Protesters gathered near Seattle Stadium during a World Cup match to demand democratic change for Iranians…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":179557,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3],"tags":[34,1616,4261,54542,42,1617,153,1615,2577],"class_list":["post-179556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-iran","tag-iran","tag-king-county","tag-lgbtq","tag-lgbtq-issues","tag-news","tag-seattle","tag-us","tag-wa","tag-world-cup"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116819279596958634","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179556","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=179556"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179556\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/179557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=179556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=179556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=179556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}