Mahsa Amini: Iran protests spread to Europe as hundreds gather in Paris
Several hundred Iranians living in France and human rights activists alike gathered in Paris on Saturday to protest against Iran’s crackdown on demonstrations, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini 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 urged French President Emmanuel Macron to intervene and make a stance 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 demonstrators and clamping down on internet access.
Amini was detained on 13 September 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 led to night-time protests in major Iranian cities, including the capital Tehran.
The morality police, officially known as Guidance Patrol, also prohibit women from wearing short coats above the knee, tight pants and jeans with holes in them, and brightly coloured outfits, among other things.
The country's former President Hassan Rouhani eased the enforcement of the rules and openly accused the morality police of being too aggressive, leading to its chief promising to stop the arrests of women for violating the dress code in 2017.
However, the religious hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, elected president last year, seems to have reverted the policy, with reports of women being beaten with batons, slapped in the face and dragged into police vehicles on the increase in
Read more on euronews.com
