PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, September 16: We look at reactions from the Spanish press after the government calls for a sports and Eurovision boycott of Israel. Also, it's been three years since Mahsa Amini died at the hands of Iran's morality police – what has changed in the country? Plus: Armand Duplantis is celebrated for his new world record. Finally, in Britain, locals band together and save the world's smallest theatre from demolition.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's strong stance against Israel is dominating the Spanish dailies this Tuesday. It comes after the final stage of the Vuelta a España cycling race was halted due to pro-Palestinian demonstrations over the presence of an Israeli team. In parliament on Monday, Sanchez expressed support for the protesters and called for a sporting ban on Israel, similar to that on Russia, saying Israel should not use international events to "whitewash its presence in Gaza".
El Pais reports on its front page that Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun then doubled down on Sanchez's comments, saying that Spain shouldn’t participate in the next Eurovision Song Contest in Austria if Israel is present. He cited similar decisions by the Netherlands and Ireland, which are also threatening to boycott the competition if Israel participates. El Periodico, like El Pais, underlines on its front page the reactions by Spain's main opposition leader, accusing Sanchez of anti-Semitism. The paper also notes that the international cycling body UCI has expressed its doubts over Spain's ability to host future cycling events. La Razon, the conservative Spanish daily, publishes an opinion piece by Francisco Marhuenda, a professor of public law and history of institutions, who says that Sanchez's criticism of Israel has made him a "staunch ally of the Hamas-controlled government of Gaza". The author also accuses him of trying to deflect attention away from his family's legal proceedings by "embracing militant anti-Semitism". El Periodico's editors issue a stark warning: issues as serious as the massacre of civilians in Gaza should be kept out of domestic politics.
It's been three years since the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran. The 22-year-old woman died three years ago at the hands of Iran's morality police. She had been stopped for not wearing the hijab properly. Her death sparked the largest wave of protests in post-1979 Iran's four-decade history, the New York Post reports. The regime's swift and brutal crackdown killed more than 500 protesters. Three years later, the New York Post explains that conditions in Iran have worsened on matters of women's rights and human rights. Nonetheless, Iranians continue to protest. According to the think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, more than 2,500 protests have taken place in the past year, showing us "that the fire that Mahsa Amini lit has not burned out". Meanwhile, families and victims of Iranians killed during those protests penned an open letter on Monday, calling on world governments to formally designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization and for the international community to cut diplomatic and economic ties with Tehran. This was reported in Iran International.
Turning to sports news, French sports paper L’Equipe hails the prowess of Swedish-American pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, who broke his own record by clearing the bar at 6.30m at the world championships in Tokyo. It’s the fourteenth time he's set this record. But this one rings sweeter, Duplantis said, because it’s a clean, new barrier for the sport. L’Equipe says "Galactique!" on its front page. Speaking of athletes, The Telegraph interviews Usain Bolt in Tokyo, where he attended the first athletics event since his retirement in 2017. He gave a glimpse into his daily life, telling the paper that he’s categorically ruled out a return to sports. He says he prefers his life of leisure, Lego, playing with his kids and chilling out. But he admits to fearing that he might be out of breath climbing up the stairs!
Finally: locals in Britain have helped save the world's smallest theatre. The Guardian reports that the Theatre of Small Convenience, a 10m² venue with a capacity for 12, was once a Victorian toilet. It was created by performer Dennis Neale in 1997 but fell into disrepair after he retired. Locals of Malvern, Worcestershire banded together to acquire the building from the council and raised £17,000 to renovate the theatre. Thanks to their efforts, they've saved the Guinness World Record-holding theatre from an otherwise inevitable demolition!
You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.
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