14 DAY TRIAL // Apparently, young people are not allowed to have fun in Iran. Reports say that six young men and women were arrested in Tehran on Monday after making a video in which they danced to Pharrell William’s famous song “Happy” and posting it online.
The clip, which shows the boys and girls dancing on the rooftops of the Iranian capital, was widely distributed in the social media, and police decided to track them down. The six Iranians were arrested and accused of making an “obscene” video that “offended the public morals.”
Iran is an Islamic republic with strict laws when it comes to what can be broadcast online and on TV, and dancing is one of the banned activities in this regard. Another issue that could have contributed to the dancers' arrest is the fact that the young women who appeared in the video were not wearing veils.
After their arrest, the young men and women were forced to repent on state TV for their behavior, and were depicted by local media as a bunch of deceived Iranian youth who regretted their deeds, Mashable informs.
The fan video filmed by the group went viral in the past few weeks, with nearly 200,000 views on YouTube, according to a Facebook post published by Reihane Taravati, the clip's art director.
Although the original video has since been made private, several copies were uploaded on YouTube by outraged people who are demanding that the six arrested dancers be released.
Pharrell himself expressed his disapproval with the arrest, writing on his Facebook page that “It is beyond sad that these kids were arrested for trying to spread happiness.”
One of the women featured in the video talked to Iran Wire several weeks ago and told the publication that all participants were involved in the art world in some way. She also confessed that they were afraid during the making of the project.
“Whenever somebody looked out of a window or someone passed by, we ducked behind a door to make sure we were not seen,” she said.
On the same interview, the dancer said the group made the video “to tell the world that the Iranian capital is full of lively young people, and change the harsh and rough image that the world sees on the news.”
Since the release of the official music video of Pharrell's “Happy,” more than 1,500 cover versions from fans have been uploaded on YouTube.
