Clashes in Paris as Police Arrest 20 for Defying Ban on Iran Human Rights Protest

(Taipei, Taiwan, June 21, 2023, 11:50 AM GMT) Hundreds of demonstrators defied a ban to gather in Paris to protest Iran's crackdown and executions, with French police taking action and arresting about 20 people on the spot today.

According to AFP, despite police prohibiting the rally the previous night, several buses arrived at Place Vauban in central Paris to participate in the gathering.

In explaining the decision, authorities stated that "in the current context of particularly tense domestic and international situations," they were concerned about potential clashes with supporters of the Iranian regime.

AFP reporters witnessed hundreds of protesters gathered at the demonstration, aimed at drawing attention to a wave of executions within Iran during the ongoing conflict.

Demonstrators chanted slogans such as "Down with the Iranian dictatorship" and "French government, shame on you." Some protesters held up photos of those executed by the Tehran authorities.

Afchine Alavi, a member of the Iranian National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an Iranian opposition group, told AFP that police used pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

He said, "They arrested about 20 people for no reason," adding that about 12 people were injured. He insisted that there was no violence on the part of the demonstrators.

Human rights groups say that more than 40 people have been executed in Iran since the war began, many of whom are linked to the protest movement that erupted before the war. (Compiled by Chen Yu-ting) 1150621

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