Mahsa Amini: Iran protests spread to Europe as hundreds gather in Paris
Several hundred Iranians living in France and human rights activists gathered in Paris on Saturday to protest Iran’s crackdown on demonstrations, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who was arrested by the morality police for “inappropriate clothing”.
People gathered in the central Place du Chatelet in the French capital and chanted slogans against Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They also called on French President Emmanuel Macron to intervene and take a stand against Khamenei’s actions.
At least 35 people have been killed so far in the violent protests, which have entered their ninth day of protests across Iran. The Iranian government has not tolerated such protests, clashing with protesters and cracking down on the internet.
Amini was detained on September 13 in Tehran for “wearing inappropriate clothing” by the morality police, tasked with enforcing the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code.
She died three days later in hospital and her death sparked nightly protests in major Iranian cities, including the capital Tehran.
The morality police, officially known as the Guidance Patrol, also ban women from wearing short coats above the knee, tight pants and jeans with holes in them, and colorful clothing, among other things.
The country’s former president Hassan Rouhani eased enforcement and openly accused the morality police of being too aggressive, leading its chief to vow to end the arrests of women for violating the dress code in 2017.
However, religious hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, who was elected president last year, appears to have reset the policy, with reports of women being beaten with batons, slapped in the face and dragged into police vehicles increasing in recent months.
The Taliban in Afghanistan is the only other ruling government that enforces strict hijab rules in the world.
“It’s a revolution happening”
Women in particular have been seen cutting off their hair in the streets and publicly burning their veils. Two human rights activists in Paris shaved their hair on stage as a sign of solidarity.
“Today is not only about Mahsa, but it is also to show our 43 years of hatred against the Islamic Republic. That is why we are here today and what we are seeing in Iran is a big demonstration, and if I may say, a revolution happening,” said Mahboubeh Moradi, an Iranian activist living in France.
Similar protests were also seen in Sweden’s capital, Stockholm.
According to national statistics from 2021, approximately 83,000 Iranians live in the Scandinavian country, making it one of Sweden’s largest immigrant groups.
“We shout slogans, and we talk, and we try to reach out to the politicians in Sweden and other countries – that’s the only thing we can do over here,” says Roya Abdi, an engineering student living in Stockholm.
“I am so sad that I cannot be with my sisters and brothers in Iran who have been facing the dictatorship now for over nine days and just keep fighting,” Abdi continued.
Despite Tehran’s government’s crackdown on protests, Iranians have not been deterred and remain defiant to bring about change.