The protests come after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was murdered by the country's morality police for not wearing her hijab properly.
Marion Cotillard, Juliette Binoche, Isabelle Huppert and a handful of female actresses and singers from France are lending their support to the people of Iran amid the mass protests following the death of Mahsa Amini.
Amini, 22, was killed by Iran's morality police on Sept. 16 for improperly wearing her hijab -- a violation of the country's strict dress codes for women in public.
According to a United Nations report, Amini was arrested on Sept. 13 and taken to a morality "re-education center" in Tehran where, per Iranian authorities, she died of a heart attack three days later. Family and friends dispute this account, saying she had no pre-existing conditions, adding that Amini was badly beaten during her arrest.
In a video shared to the Instagram account, Soutien Femmes Iran, which translates to "support women in Iran," Binoche clips off several inches of thick brown hair before saying, "For Freedom!" in English. Using the hashtag, #HairForFreedom, Cotillard followed suit, along with Huppert and others. The video ends with the sounds of the protesters chanting in the streets as they fight for their rights and the rights of women all over Iran.
The caption for the post reads, "Since Mahsa's death, which occurred on September 16, the Iranian people, women in the lead, have been protesting at the risk of their lives. This people only hope for access to the most essential freedoms. These women, these men, are asking for our support. Their courage and dignity compels us."
"It is impossible not to denounce again and again this terrible repression," the post continues. "The deaths and deaths are already counting by the dozens, including children. The arrests will only increase the number of prisoners already illegally held and too often tortured. So we decided to answer the call that was thrown at us by cutting some of these locks."
The video comes after more than 1,000 working professionals from the world of French cinema signed an open letter published on Tuesday, urging anyone "shocked" by Amini’s murder to "support the protesters loud and clear." In the letter, they called for an end to the "insufferable coercion" women face in Iran.
This is the latest show of support for the people of Iran, with Bella Hadid, Justin Bieber, Eva Mendes and more taking to Instagram in the weeks since Amini's death to shed light on what's happening there. Oscar-winning Iranian director, Asghar Farhadi, has also spoken out, calling for solidarity at the Zurich Film Festival.
Women have continued to cut their hair publicly and remove their headscarves during the continued demonstrations, which have resulted in the death of at least 92 protestors by police. There's also been an uproar of protests abroad, from Los Angeles to Toronto and even Sydney, Australia, as people demand change and an end to Iran’s brutal theocracy.
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