Iranian foreign minister urges France to safeguard the right to protest amid police clashes

On Monday, Abbas Araghtchi, Iran’s minister of foreign affairs, used the social platform X to appeal directly to President Emmanuel Macron, asking him to ensure the French public can demonstrate without fear. He referenced recent incidents of police force in Paris and other cities, describing them as excessive. Araghtchi emphasized that French citizens are demanding a fundamental guarantee of the right to assemble.

The appeal comes after Iran’s harsh suppression of protests earlier in the year, a response that human-rights organisations have labeled the deadliest in the Islamic Republic’s history. While the Iranian government condemned the French police response, it also faced international scrutiny for its own violent crackdown. The exchange underscores contrasting approaches to civil unrest in the two countries.