Support is growing for the young woman who undressed to protest the harassment she was subjected to for violating the mandatory veiling rules in Tehran. The women protesting in London said, “This is my body, our body, no one has the right to decide on our behalf.” (Editor: Derya Doğan)
Women in London, the capital of England, took to the streets to support a young woman who led a protest that resonated in Iran and around the world.
A group of Iranian activists recently held a demonstration in support of a female student who stripped down to her underwear to protest the mandatory headscarf practices at a university in Tehran.
Zara Agharezaei, who was seen in her underwear at the demonstration held in London yesterday, said in a statement to Iran International Television, “In a country of prohibitions, she chose to act. This is my body, our body, the body of all women, and no one has the right to decide for us,” she said.
Women protesters gathered in front of the statue in London’s Parliament Square yesterday, Iran International reported.
They wore red robes like characters in The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian novel about the subjugation of women, and marched to Trafalgar Square, ending their march in Piccadilly Circus.
ARRESTED AFTER PROTEST
The Iranian student protester was arrested after she took off her clothes in protest at what was reported to be an attack by security forces at Tehran’s Islamic Azad University because of her headscarf.
A video of the student sitting in the courtyard of the university’s Science and Research Branch went viral on Iranian social media, with some users identifying her as Ahou Darya, a senior French literature student. However, the young woman’s identity has not been confirmed.
Authorities later claimed that the student had a mental health problem. Tehran’s government has previously made claims that dissidents and protesters are “mentally ill.”
