Tehran cafe sealed over gig deemed ‘satanic activity’

Police in Iran sealed a cafe over accusations that it promoted what authorities called “satanic activities,” state media reported on Sunday.

Police in Iran sealed a cafe over accusations that it promoted what authorities called “satanic activities,” state media reported on Sunday.
A video from inside the cafe on Tehran’s Valiasr Street was also released, which appeared to show men and women seated around tables during a live music performance.
In the footage, some audience members could be seen clapping, filming with phones and moving their heads to the music as a performer performed near a microphone and music stand.
The report said Tehran’s public venues police acted after receiving reports about the cafe’s activities.
Authorities accused the cafe of holding Western music events and providing a setting for what officers described as “deviant sects,” involving young men and women.
They also said customers at the cafe had been seen making “strange and unusual movements.”
In May 2024, police arrested over 260 people at an underground rock music festival, branding the event a “satanist gathering.”
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