Thousands of people demonstrated in Paris on Sunday to condemn Iran’s Islamic leadership in a huge demonstration of solidarity with the nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa Amini.
After large rallies in key diaspora cities like Los Angeles and Toronto over the weekend, a huge stream of people walked from the French capital’s traditional protest hub, Place de la Republique, to Place de la Nation.
“Join the first feminist revolution!” and “Mahsa Amini – Your name has shaken the tyranny of the Ayatollahs!” were among the slogans carried by the protesters as they sometimes braved the torrential rain.
They chanted “Death to the Islamic Republic!”, “Death to the dictator” and “Ms. Life. Freedom”, the three words that have become the main slogan of the protests.
They also sang along to the song “Baraye” (“For”), which Iranian songwriter Shervin Hajipour compiled from Twitter posts about the protests.
The song went viral on Instagram and moved many to tears, but Hajipour has now been arrested as a symbol of the vehemence of Iran’s crackdown on protests.
Protests in Iran continue every day, despite a crackdown that left 92 dead and severe cuts online, according to the Iran Human Rights (IHR) Group.
“For once, it’s the women who have stood up and who the men are joining. This is really the time to try to change things,” said Guilda Torabi, a student of Iranian descent.
“They go out to protest, but they get killed. We are fortunate to be able to demonstrate and fight for them. So we’re going to move forward,” she said.
Toura Dana, a Franco-Iranian engineer, added: “Now we have become the voice of the Iranian people who are cut off. Now Iran has become one big prison.”
Prominent figures on the French left – including Socialist leader Olivier Faure, Green Party figure Sandrine Rousseau and far-left MEP Manon Aubry – addressed the crowd.
But their speeches, particularly Rousseau’s, were met with loud boos from many in attendance, with the Iranian diaspora known around the world for their political diversity.
Also present was French graphic book author Marjane Satrapi, whose classic “Persepolis” tells the story of the girl growing up in post-revolutionary Iran and grappling with the obligatory hijab.
Protesters expressed anger that French President Emmanuel Macron met with Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi shortly after Amini’s death on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
“The French government is flirting with the mullahs while the mullahs are killing women,” read a slogan over a picture of Macron shaking hands with Raisi.
