BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – The death of a 22-year-old woman has sparked protests in Iran and may soon trigger a demonstration in Baton Rouge.
On September 13, Iranian police arrested Mahsa Amini on allegations of wearing an ‘improper hijab,’ or headscarf. Apparently, Amini’s hijab was too loose.
The 22-year-old passed away while she was in police custody.
Though Iranian officials deny responsibility for Amini’s death and claim she had a heart attack while in custody, many people believe she was beaten and killed.
When news of her death went public, a number of women in Iran were outraged and reacted by defying the country’s dress code.
Despite the risk of being arrested or beaten, a number of these women publicly cut their hair, removed their hijabs, and engaged in other acts of defiance.
According to reports on social media, people in Baton Rouge who support the protests may be planning to gather at the LSU Student Union (free speech alley) Friday (September 23) afternoon to demonstrate their support of the movement in Iran.
One flyer that’s being circulated on social media encourages people to attend the event with the words: “Female demonstrators in #IRAN tear off their hejab, cut their hair and battle officers in protest. Internet blackout in #IRAN means: Repression and mass KILLING.”
According to the Associated Press, protests in Iran have become violent and resulted in at least nine deaths.
Apparently, Iran’s mobile networks have also been shut down, which severely restricts access to popular social media platforms such as Instagram and WhatsApp.
