Iranian Sports Federations Urged To Show Solidarity With Gaza

The Ministry of Sports in the Islamic Republic has issued a directive urging Iranian sports federations to organize competitions in support of Gaza.

The official letter, dispatched in October, shortly after Hamas's invasion of Israel on October 7, instructs all federations to designate a specific week of league matches or other competitions with themes condemning Israel and expressing solidarity with the people of Gaza.

Arash Farhadian, the Director-General of Common Affairs for the federations, emphasized in the letter, received by Iran International, that "the large family of Iranian sports must support the children of Gaza."

Interestingly, despite the Islamic Republic of Iran being a major supporter of Hamas, there has been a noticeable absence of grassroots, popular expressions of solidarity with Palestinians within Iran. 

The Iranian regime, adopting a full propaganda mode since the October 7 attack on Israel in which 1,200 mostly civilians were murdered and 240 or more taken hostage, has consistently praised Hamas and criticized Israel for the retaliation which has seen the death of what Hamas reports to be 20,000.

In contrast, social media platforms have seen many Iranians voicing support for Israel. Additionally, certain groups of Iranians outside Iran not only refrained from supporting Palestinians but also attended pro-Hamas protests with pro-Israeli banners. The issue of Israel and Palestine remains devoid of real, open discussion in Iran, with the regime straightforwardly propagating its anti-Israeli policy.