Protests at the World Cup echo across the globe

NOVEMBER 23, 2022

Hey. Incoming is taking a little break tomorrow and Friday. We'll be back to regularly scheduled programming on Monday, Nov. 28. Take care while I'm away from your inbox, and we'll talk soon. -Alexa

THE BIG STORY

Iranian soccer players and fans protested at the World Cup in solidarity with anti-government demonstrations back home

Iranian players refuse to sing the national anthem before their opening World Cup Group B football match against England. Kyodo via AP Images

At the World Cup on Monday, the Iranian national team stayed silent as their national anthem played before its first group match against England, openly defying the country's besieged Islamist regime. Expressions of solidarity were also seen in the stands, where fans held up protest signs that read "woman, life, freedom" and photos of protesters killed by security forces.

More than 400 people — including at least 58 minors — are estimated to have been killed by security forces since protests began in September over Mahsa Amini's death. Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, was arrested for wearing her hijab improperly and later died in the custody of the morality police. Her death sparked wide-scale protests against the oppression of women in Iran, and morphed into wider discontent and anger toward the regime.

Although England routed Iran 6–2, the protests carried weight for Iranian fans, especially for women, who are barred from watching soccer matches at home. The Iranian national team previously faced criticism for meeting with President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline extremist, before leaving for the World Cup. But ahead of their match Monday, team captain Ehsan Hajsafi publicly voiced his support for the protesters.

"We have to accept that conditions in our country are not right. Our people are not happy," Hajsafi said at a pre-match conference. "We are here, but it does not mean that we should not be their voice or we must not respect them."

STAYING ON TOP OF THIS

More on the World Cup's human rights controversy

The 2022 World Cup kickoff has been overshadowed by controversies involving FIFA's decision to award host duties to Qatar, despite the country's sordid human rights record. Its government has faced intense criticism for its treatment of migrant laborers — who make up about 90% of the country's population — and its draconian anti-LGBTQ stance.
Qatar has spent 12 years building the infrastructure to support this massive sporting event. Last year, the Guardian calculated that at least 6,500 migrant workers, most of whom worked on World Cup infrastructure projects, have died since 2010.

SNAPSHOTS

How a shooter shattered a typical Saturday night at a Colorado Springs gay bar, and how people fought back. "I just know I got into mode and I needed to save my family, and that family at that time was everybody in that room," said Richard Fierro, who restrained the shooter at Club Q on Saturday.

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MASS SHOOTING

At least 7 people were killed in Virginia after a shooter opened fire in a Walmart

At least seven people have been confirmed dead, including the alleged gunman, after a shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia on Tuesday night. Multiple people are believed to have been wounded and receiving medical attention.

The unnamed assailant in the shooting was found dead at the store, although how they died is yet to be confirmed. At a press conference Wednesday morning, police confirmed the suspect was a Walmart employee.

This shooting comes just days after a gunman opened fire at Club Q, a gay bar in Colorado Springs, killing five and leaving at least 18 people injured before being taken down by two patrons. As of Nov. 23, at least 39,696 people have died from gun violence this year, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive.

This is a developing story. Check back here for updates and follow BuzzFeed News on Twitter.

IMAGE OF THE DAY

Fabian Bimmer / Reuters

Swans are carried in a boat after they were caught at Hamburg's inner city lake Alster by Olaf Niess to bring them to their winter quarters in Hamburg, Germany, on November 22, 2022.

CULTURE & CRITICISM

Yellowstone is the most important drama on TV right now

Kevin Costner as John Dutton in Season 5 of Yellowstone. Paramount Network / Courtesy Everett Collection

Yellowstone may not be television's best show, but because of its extraordinary popularity and its willingness to play with the existential crises over land, identity, and power, there is little doubt that it is America's most important drama right now, Elamin Abdelmahmoud writes.

Yellowstone follows John Dutton, played by a gruff and grave Kevin Costner, a sixth-generation Montana rancher desperately trying to fend off the forces threatening to take the titular ranch — be it the city slicker gentrifiers, the neighboring (fictional) Native American tribe, or the various elements of government. In its relatively short existence, Yellowstone has become America's most-watched TV show — last week's Season 5 premiere averaged 16 million viewers, making it the most-watched TV show of this year and the highest cable season premiere since The Walking Dead in 2017.

Watching Yellowstone, I am regularly surprised at how much I am moved by a rich man's plight to hold on to his ranch. The series shows clearly that these people murder and undermine people far too much for them to be worth rooting for morally. But is the series about heroes? Or about the unrelenting cruelty of reality? Yellowstone deftly explores these questions along with a bigger, primal, more eternal fight: the push and pull over who owns land and who is trying to take it away, and what the land means for the people who live on it.

WHAT WE LOVED IN 2022

Cari Vander Yacht for BuzzFeed News

Thanks for reading until the end. As a reward — and to hold you over until Incoming returns from the long weekend — here's a roundup of things the BuzzFeed News team has live-laugh-loved this year. -Alexa

Beauty and skincare: Avoid everything from smudgy makeup to mosquito bite infections forever.

Tech gifts and gadgets: A $22 smart notebook, a vintage Bluetooth record player, an automatic pan stirrer — the future is now.

Baby products: While there's not any miracle product to solve all of your problems, trust our team to give you the best intel to make parenting that much easier.

I love my Peloton. Cry me a river: Cry. Me. A. River.

What's the most memorable gift you've ever received?

Alexa

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