Iran has had a national outrage and protest in response to the death of a young woman who passed away while being held by the police.
Mahsa Amini, the woman in question, was detained by Iranian authorities for disobeying the nation’s rigorous dress code by adorning her hijab too loosely.
Amini’s passing also came to represent the people’s dissatisfaction with politics and the economy of the country.
Chants have condemned clerical authority and made reference to the cruelty of the police officials as well as how the authorities act with impunity.
According to Reuters news, the official death toll from the protests reached 35 by Saturday, and Iran’s staunchly conservative President Ebrahim Raisi promised to put an end to the protests.
According to news sources and the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights based in Norway, hundreds of demonstrators have been hurt and dozens of individuals have been detained nationwide as of the time of writing this.
Videos and images from Iran depict large-scale public demonstrations, with some women removing and burning their hijabs as a sign of defiance against the rule.
According to some reports, Iran also faced a near nationwide internet blackout in order to stop the spreading of videos and photos on social media.
Social media has been a weapon for the people of Iran, who have been asking celebrities and influencers to bring attention to the protests.
One such celebrity happens to be Chelsea full-back, Reece James.
Reece, on Saturday, uploaded a story which included a post that contained all important information pertaining to what is happening in Iran.
He became one of the first football players to show solidarity with the people of Iran.
Iranians noticed, and this one particular FPL page from Iran showed solidarity in return by captaining him in the popular fantasy game for the next gameweek.
Reece James hasn’t been the strongest point winner this season, gaining only 9 points in the last 4 gameweeks.
A captain in an FPL game is a player who gets double points for the week, so people choose captains depending on who they believe will score the most goals.
Reece is not an obvious choice in this matter, but his standing up for what is right takes far more precedence.
A lot of people questioned how this was going to help Iran’s protests, but this move is more about making a statement than scoring points in a mere fantasy game for the Iranians.
An argument can be made that by supporting those who are supporting Iran, they are in a small way, showing gratitude to the player.
Additionally, as rightly pointed out, doing one thing isn’t stopping anyone from doing other more impactful things.
With over 8000 likes on the tweet, it’s safe to say the hope of raising awareness is working very well.
We hope more and more celebrities and footballers, come out against what is happening in Iran and use their global status to help people out.