Location Iran | Death(s) 1 protester | |
Date 9 November 2015 – 11 November 2015 Causes The children's program Fitilehha aired an episode on November 6 depicting an ethnic Azeri of Iran brushing his teeth with a toilet brush. Methods demonstrations, riots, strike actions Result Fitilehha has been cancelled, the head of the country’s state broadcaster apologized for the episode | ||
Azerbaijani protests in Iran started on 9 November 2015 after children's television programme Fitileh aired on 6 November on local state TV that ridiculed the accent and language of Azeris and included offensive jokes.
As a result, hundreds of ethnic Azeris have protested a program on state television that contained what they considered an ethnic slur. Demonstrations were held in Tabriz, Urmia, Ardabil, and Zanjan, as well as in Tehran and Karaj. Protesters chanted "We are Turks," "Death to Persian racism", "Long live Azerbaijan", "Stop racism against Azeri Turks". Police in Iran have clashed with protesting people, fired tear gas to disperse crowds in several cities and towns in Iranian Azerbaijan, many protesters were arrested. One of the protesters, Ali Akbar Murtaza, reportedly "died of injuries" in Urmia. There were also protests held in front of Iranian embassies in Istanbul and Baku.
The head of the country’s state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) Mohammad Sarafraz apologized for airing the program. The broadcast of Fitilehha was cancelled.