Thousands of people march towards the European Parliament in Strasbourg in support of Iranian protesters
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Up to 12,000 people marched towards the European Parliament in the eastern French city of Strasbourg on Monday in support of Iranian anti-government protesters as the Eiffel Tower lit up the night with the slogan “Woman. Life. Freedom”, which embodies the protest movement that extends beyond Iran.
The Eiffel Tower screen also broadcast the message “Stop the executions in Iran“, underlining a request from the demonstrators.
Both messages pay homage to Mahsa Aminiwhose death in September sparked protests in Iran, as well as arrests and executions.
Paris declared Amani posthumously an honorary citizen in October, and Paris City Hall said Monday’s Eiffel Tower displays were a tribute to Amini and “those who bravely fight for their freedom under the regime ( Iranian) continues the executions of protesters.”
The Strasbourg march was organized by Iranians in Europe on the 44th anniversary of the day the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, ill and under increasing pressure, left the country forever. The following month, the monarchy collapsed under the fervor of the Islamic revolution which gave Iran its theocracy. Some of the protesters carried photos of the former king on Monday.
According to local media, police said some 12,000 people participated.
“Your silence is violence,” read a banner, reflecting the demand from Iranian protesters abroad to support their message and make sure Tehran hears it.
The protesters want the European Union to take a tougher stance against Iran, declaring Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization.
The plenary session of the European Parliament is due to debate this week the EU’s response to protests and executions in the Islamic Republic. A non-binding resolution is due to be voted on Thursday, which protesters and others see as a chance to put the Revolutionary Guards on the EU terror list.
Last week, a letter from more than 100 MEPs to Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, called on the bloc to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps “in its entirety as a terrorist organisation”. . The IRGC was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States in 2019.
Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said after a meeting with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock in The Hague on Monday that they had both summoned Iran’s ambassadors to their respective countries to protest against the executions of protesters and the former Anglo-Iranian Defense Ministry official Ali Reza Akbari.
Hoekstra said the ministers supported the steps “to go further in EU sanctions against those responsible, all those who are responsible for these serious human rights violations in Iran”.
Iran has been rocked by protests since the September 16 death of Amini, 22, who died after being detained by vice police. The protests have since become one of the most serious challenges for Iran’s leadership.
(AP)