In Iran, two women were attacked by a man in a supermarket for not wearing a headscarf (one of them wears a headscarf, but not “properly”). The fact was captured by the grocery store’s surveillance cameras and caused a stir: the video shows the Iranian women and the attacker arguing in the supermarket in Shandiz, a city in the north-east of the country near Mashhad; At one point, the man pours yogurt over the two’s heads before being confronted by the shopkeeper. The attacker, the BBC reports, was arrested on charges of disturbing public order, but the Iranian judiciary has also ordered the arrest of the two women: they are accused of showing their hair in public, an act considered illegal in the country .
Video – In the video, which went viral, the two customers can be seen being approached by the man who is addressing them. Then he suddenly grabs what looks like a packet of yogurt from a shelf and angrily throws the contents on their heads. But unlike in the past, the shopkeeper and another customer step in to defend the two women and chase the attacker away. “Necessary notices” were also issued to the shopkeeper to ensure compliance with the law.
The arrests have been followed by months of protests demanding an end to the headscarf requirement. Anger and frustration with the law have created dissent in Iranian society. Protests spread across the Islamic Republic in September following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old girl arrested by Tehran’s vice squad on charges that authorities said she was guilty of “improperly” wearing the veil . Hundreds of people were killed in the demonstrations, including dozens of security forces, and thousands were arrested in connection with what Iranian officials described as “riots” fueled by Israel and the West. And the authorities do not let up.