Thousands of people packed into Seattle Stadium and the streets outside, Friday night, in a World Cup match between Iran and Egypt that drew not only soccer fans but also protestors.
Many of the protests surrounded the Iran war and wider Middle East conflicts.
“We’re here to support my people, the people of Iran,” said Jasmine Farhand.
“We want to amplify the people of Iran’s voice and we want the world to know my people doesn’t support the Islamic dictatorship going on back home,” she insisted.
At one point, demonstrators demanding regime change in Iran clashed with counter demonstrators.
“They have every right to exercise their right. I support them. But they need to also support me,” said Omar Rashid, who claimed protestors had taunted him.
Demonstrators, chanting and waving flags, marched down streets near the stadium and largely ignored the city’s several small, designated protest zones.
Though noisy, the protests appeared to be peaceful, and fans heading into the stadium seemed undeterred.
Alex Sanchez smiled and said, “I’m here for the protests- everything.”
Wearing a rainbow flag, Meghan Cherry made a point of attending the event, which was declared Seattle’s official World Cup Pride Match.
“To me it felt like kind a responsibility to come and show up and be a very visible sign of pride and Seattle culture, so it meant a lot to me to be able to come.”
Iran and Egypt have strict laws against homosexuality, but pride flags were allowed in the stadium under the FIFA anti-discrimination and human rights rules.