Coldplay’s Chris Martin introduced the song as he explained the band’s support for protestors in Iran (Picture: Santiago Bluguermann/Getty Images)
Coldplay showed their support for people protesting against the regime in Iran by performing a song that has been banned in the country at their sold-out stadium gig in Buenos Aires on Saturday night.
The chart-topping band played Shervin Hajipour’s song Baraye, which has become an anthem for the protest movement in Iran.
Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, who has been exiled from the country since 2009 after appearing in an American film, joined Coldplay on stage to sing the song in Farsi at their concert, which was broadcast live to 80 different countries.
Introducing the song, front man Chris Martin began: ‘Maybe you see on the news right now that there are so many places where people are not able to gather like this and be free to be themselves.
‘Whether that’s to listen to what they want to listen to, to wear what they want to wear, to think what they want to think, to love who they want to love and particularly at the moment this is very clear in Iran.’
Acknowledging that the show was being seen in many other countries, the singer added: ‘We would like to do something to show that we support all the women and everybody fighting for freedom in Iran – and everywhere in fact.’
Saturday’s Music Of The Spheres world tour concert at Estadio Mas Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti in Buenos Aires was being live broadcast in 80 countries (Picture: Santiago Bluguermann/Getty Images)
Introducing the song by Hajipour, Martin then invited Farahani to the stage, before sharing: ‘Now this song is in Farsi, so I can’t really sing it, but we’re going to sing it together and we send this with love from Buenos Aires.’
Following the emotional acoustic performance, accompanying Hajipour’s recording of the song, which he composed from tweets written by Iranian people expressing their grief over the actions of their state after the death of Mahsa Amini in custody on September 16.
Hajipour uploaded the song on September 27, where it amassed 40 million views before his arrest 48 hours later.
Ms Amini’s death in September after three days in a coma has sparked national and international protests after the 22-year-old was arrested by the country’s infamous ‘morality police’ for wearing her hijab – a veil worn over the head – too loosely, with a few strands of hair visible to passing crowds.
Masha Amini’s death on September 16 while in custody has sparked ongoing national and international protests (Picture: IranWire via Reuters)
In ultra-conservative Iran, the punishment for being seen in public without a headscarf can include a prison sentence, flogging or a fine.
She was originally meant to be sent to a detention centre but instead ended up in Kasra hospital, where she died after three days in a coma.
As celebrities and activists cut off their hair in protest at her treatment, Thursday saw a protest in Ms Amini’s hometown of Saqez, in Iran’s western Kurdistan region.
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Thousands of people took to the streets with police cracking down on the women-led protests with violence and arrests, as they marked 40 days since her death.
Iran’s uprising is now in its sixth week despite mounting fatalities.
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The show was being live broadcast to 80 different countries.
