Five Iranian girls who were arrested for a video of them dancing have publicly apologised, as Iranian women have shared support for the group by posting their own dancing videos.
The five teenagers shared a TikTok on 8 March of them dancing to the Selena Gomez and Rema song ‘Calm Down’. Arranged beside a tower block in Ekbatan, Tehran, the girls dance without any head covering.
The teenagers were reportedly arrested by Iranian police on 10 March. In Iran, women are not allowed to dance in public or be seen without their hair covered by a hijab.
American singer Selena Gomez shared an article on her Instagram story saying: “[love] to these young women and all the women of Iran who continue to be courageous demanding fundamental change. Please know your strength is inspiring.”
Nigerian singer Rema has also weighed in: “To all the beautiful women who are fighting for a better world, I’m inspired by you, I sing for you and I dream with you,” he wrote on Twitter.
In Iran, women have started posting videos in support of the teenagers with clips of them dancing to the same song without head coverings. The videos have been posted with the women’s faces blurred to maintain anonymity from the Iranian authorities.
