Australia has granted asylum to five members of Iran’s women’s national soccer team. who were facing returning to a country at war.
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Australia has granted asylum to five members of Iran's women's national soccer team
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They were in the country for a tournament when the war broke out in Iran. The decision comes after Iranian groups in Australia and even President Trump
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urged the government to offer them protection. Early Tuesday morning, police escorted the five players from their hotel on the Gold Coast
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to what officials called a safe location after they requested asylum. Australia's Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says he met with the players before their humanitarian visas were approved
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Now, the team drew global attention last week when the players refused to sing Iran's national anthem before their first match in Australia
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Iranian state media later branded them traitors, calling the move, quote, the pinnacle of dishonor
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It's a 26-person team. Burke says the rest of the team has also been offered the opportunity to stay in Australia
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Australia has taken the Iranian women soccer team into our hearts These women are tremendously popular in Australia but we realise they are in a terribly difficult situation
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with the decisions that they're making. But the opportunity will continue to be there
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for them to talk to Australian officials if they wish to. These women have been weighing up an incredibly difficult decision
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Incredibly difficult decision. and I respect that even though the offer continues to be there for other members of the team
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it is quite possible and indeed likely that not every woman on the team will make a decision
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to take up the opportunity that Australia would offer to them. What matters here is that they have the best agency they can over those decisions
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It's not clear when the other players are expected to return to Iran
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But tensions grew Tuesday when protesters tried to block a bus reportedly carrying members of that team from their hotel
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Local media report the team later boarded a flight from Gold Coast Airport
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