Fitileh protests

Culture of origin: Azerbaijani · Historical

Holiday sources: Azerbaijani

On 6 November 2015 Fitileh, a children's programme on the state broadcaster IRIB, aired an episode showing an Azerbaijani-speaking Iranian brushing his teeth with a toilet brush. From 9 to 11 November hundreds protested in Tabriz, Urmia, Ardabil, Zanjan and Tehran, and outside Iran's embassies in Istanbul and Baku; police clashed with the protesters, fired tear gas to disperse them and made arrests. The programme was cancelled after twelve years on air, and IRIB's head, Mohammad Sarafraz, apologised for it.