Oscar-winning French actresses cut some of their hair, in solidarity with the ongoing protests in Iran, following the death of the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, by the so-called morality police.
Instagram account Soutien Femmes Iran, which translates to “support women in Iran,” shared a video of the 50 celeberities chopping off their hair with the hashtag #HairForFreedom.
The caption for the post reads, “Since Mahsa’s death, which occurred on September 16, the Iranian people, women in the lead, have been protesting at the risk of their lives. These people only hope for access to the most essential freedoms. These women, these men, are asking for our support. Their courage and dignity compels us.”
“It is impossible not to denounce again and again this terrible repression,” the post continues. “The deaths are already counting by the dozens, including children. The arrests will only increase the number of prisoners already illegally held and too often tortured. So we decided to answer the call that was thrown at us by cutting some of these locks.”
The French actresses, including Juliette Binoche and Isabelle Huppert, participated in this, and they cut locks of their hair in protest of the death of Mahsa Amini.
“For freedom,” Binoche said in the video as she scissored off a large chunk of her hair, before showing it to the camera.
Cotillard is then shown cutting her own shoulder-length hair.
Alongside her post of the video, Cotillard also wrote, “For the courageous women and men of Iran who are changing the world at this very moment, fighting for freedom. We stand by you.”
“In SOLIDARITY for FREEDOM RIGHTS for IRANIAN WOMEN and MEN,” Binoche captioned her post of the clip.
Swedish politician cut her hair during a session in the European Parliament to show her solidarity with anti-government protesters in Iran.
Member of Parliament, Abir Al-Sahlani, who is of Iraqi origin in the European Parliament, took to the podium during a session on the suppression of protesters for women’s rights in Iran.
“Until the women of Iran are liberated, we will stand with you,” she said before grabbing scissors and cutting her hair.
Protests continues in Iran
Protests erupted in Iran after a 22-year-old Mahsa Amini fell into a coma and died while in the custody of Iran’s morality police for wearing the hijab in an ‘improper manner’ meaning she had not fully covered her hair.
Amini fell into a coma shortly after collapsing at a detention centre before she was pronounced dead on Friday, September 16.
This angered the Iranians, who went out and are still taking to the streets in large numbers, to demand the punishment of the perpetrators and the dissolution of the morality police, including those who demanded the overthrow of the regime as a whole.
Women played a prominent role in those protests, and female protesters brandished and burned their headscarves. They also participated in cutting their hair inside Iran and all countries of the world.
It is noteworthy that the demonstrations attracted international attention in light of the increasing pressure on Iran and its responsibility for thwarting an agreement on reviving the joint action plan on the nuclear program.
