There is no better example of how actions speak louder than words than the Iranian men’s fútbol team’s silence during the Iranian national anthem.

On November 21, before their FIFA World Cup match against England, players on Iran’s fútbol team stayed silent while their anthem rang throughout the Khalifa international stadium. Their silence was in honor of protests for women’s rights and the human rights violations that were happening in Iran.

Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, was arrested on September 13 by the morality police in Iran for wearing her hijab incorrectly. She was severely beaten as punishment and passed away 3 days later. This event led to a worldwide uprising against women’s rights violations in Iran.

Powerful protests began spreading like wildfires, all with one goal; justice for Mahsa. Movements quickly became violent and internet blackouts became common in Iran. After months of protest, the Iranian Fútbol team decided to show their support through silence. During their press conference after the game, players were swarmed with questions about their feelings on the protest, which many of them refused to answer.

This past weekend Iran’s attorney general Mohammad Jafar Montazeri claimed that the morality police in Iran had been “abolished”, but people are starting to think this might not be true. Protests are still happening in Iran, and the morality police recently made their first known execution of Moshen Shikari, a 23-year-old prisoner, after being accused of blocking a street in Tehran and attacking a member of the Basij militia during a protest.