They have been distraught about Iranian state oppression and cruelty especially since last Autumn. Even though they now live here in the UK they have felt scared for the safety of their family in Iran if they speak up. Getting this group together and organising this concert has been our way of offering them and the women of Iran some solidarity and practical support from Bristol, through raising a
wareness and funds. Iran’s ’morality police’ arrested 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on 13th September 2022 in Tehran for the way she was wearing her headscarf. Three days later she died in custody after being in a coma. Her death triggered widespread protests in Iran. Women and girls put their lives on the line by taking off their hijabs, cutting their hair and standing in front of police lines. Also, 26-year-old Shervin Hajipour’s song Baraye, composed from tweets in Iran on why people were protesting, became an anthem for Iranian protestors both in Iran and the diaspora. Hajipour was arrested following the publication of the track on his instagram account and he was ordered to take it down, but not before it had been seen 40 million times in less than 2 days. The main theme of the song is support of women with the slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom". In February 2023, it picked up the Grammy award for ‘Best Song for Social Change’. As of February 2023, "Baraye" has been performed by many Iranian and non-Iranian artists, singers and dancers alike, outside of Iran in the original Persian and in translations. On April 2023 Hajipour was listed as one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World.
