Iranians seize fellow fans’ protest flags during match

SUPPORTERS of the Iranian regime seized anti-government flags from their fellow countrymen during their World Cup match against Wales in Qatar.

A woman in a T-shirt bearing the slogan “woman, life, freedom” was attacked while others had their Persian pre-revolutionary banners snatched out of their hands.

Qatari security guards had tried to stop Iranian fans from taking antiregime flags into the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Doha, but some slipped through the net.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Iran demanding the downfall of the Islamic Republic and calling for basic human rights to be respected, resulting in 300 deaths. The protests began following the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman beaten to death in the custody of Iranian morality police after she was detained for wearing her hijab incorrectly in September.

Unlike their previous match against England, the Iranian team sang the national anthem, having refrained from doing so at their first match against England on Monday.

“It’s obvious that the match had become very politicised this week. You can see people from the same country who hate each other,” said Mustafa, a 40-year-old Iranian fan.

The protests came after Voria Ghafouri, a former Iran national team player, was arrested on Thursday after speaking out against the regime.

Qatari security guards also seized a Brazilian fan’s flag after mistaking it for the LGBTQ rainbow.