On 29 April, Women and girls came together to #Dance4Freedom in Piccadilly Circus in Solidarity with Woman, Life, Freedom Revolution in Iran on International Day of Dance.
Women in Iran have long protested the Islamic regime of Iran’s suppression by dancing. We continue this tradition on International Dance Day with #Dance4Freedom in support of women and girls in Iran.
#Dance4Freedom organised by One Law for All and FiLiA was 45 minutes long, symbolic of the time it took for the notorious morality police to call an ambulance after the Kurdish Iranian Mahsa Jina Amini collapsed in detention. Violently arrested for ‘improper veiling,’ she died a few days later on 16 September 2022, killed for a few strands of hair. Her death is the spark of the women-led revolution unfolding in Iran.
Read a report of the action here.
Some photos from the event:
Background to the joint One Law for All and FiLiA action:
In March, five young women in Iran who posted a TikTok video of themselves dancing without wearing hijab were arrested and forced to apologise.
Women in Iran have long protested the Islamic regime of Iran’s suppression by dancing. We continue this tradition on International Dance Day with #Dance4Freedom in support of women and girls in Iran.
#Dance4Freedom organised by One Law for All and FiLiA will be 45 minutes long, symbolic of the time it took for the notorious morality police to call an ambulance after the Kurdish Iranian Mahsa Jina Amini collapsed in detention. Violently arrested for ‘improper veiling,’ she died a few days later on 16 September 2022, killed for a few strands of hair. Her death is the spark of the women-led revolution unfolding in Iran.
Maryam Namazie, One Law for All’s Spokesperson:
‘Women and girls in Iran are suppressed for what they wear, what they think and say, who they love and, yes, even for dancing. Which is why dance has become a form of resistance along with burning hijabs, throwing turbans off the heads of clerics, and a women-led revolution. On International Day of Dance, we honour and stand with the women and girls of Iran and for Woman, Life, Freedom. This revolution will herald a new dawn if only we defend it, encourage it and stand with it.’
Freya Papworth – Spokeswoman for FiLiA Charity:
‘It is our duty, as feminists and as women who recognise patriarchal oppression and violence in all its forms, to stand in solidarity with the women of Iran who have been brutalised by the Islamic regime and who still fight back and believe in a better world. There is hope for real change and we ask all women who support this fight for freedom, to join us in this dancing protest.’
JOIN #Dance4Freedom
- Join us in Piccadilly Circus, London on 29th April 2023 at 3pm to #Dance4Freedom.
- The plan is to have some women dancing for 45 minutes. You can do as many or few minutes as you are able; accessible moves will be included. We will dance to the song, The Girls of the Land of the Sun PDF: GirlsofLandofSun.
- If you are taking part virtually, please take a photo or video (10 seconds or less) of your dancing solidarity action and post on social media on the day.
- Remember to use hashtags #Dance4Freedom #Hair4Freedom #MahsaAmini #WomensRevolution #Iran
- Write to or email your MP about your involvement in this solidarity action. (See a draft letter you can use and access THIS TOOL to help you find your MP’s email address). Remember to add your own comments if you can; personalised emails have more impact.
- Listen to Maryam Namazie’s interview with Freya Papworth on the women’s revolution in Iran and the upcoming #Dance4Freedom.
- The human rights organisation One Law For All and radical feminist charity FiLiA are once again joining forces as part of the Hair4Freedom campaign launched in November 2022. This action saw women queuing up for over an hour at Piccadilly Circus to cut their hair to the sound of drumming, chanting and singing. Our action was broadcast around the world. The action was covered extensively, including on Daily Telegraph Australia, VOA, ABC News, Cyprus Mail, Alein Farsi, Independent Persian, Kayhan London, VOA 365, Sri Lanka News, Yahoo, Reuters and others. Attempts were made to throw the gathered hair on the regime’s embassy in London a few months later. Activists were prevented from doing so because the police said ‘it would distress the embassy personnel’.