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French police have arrested around 20 people after a group gathered in Paris on Saturday for a demonstration against executions and repression in Iran, despite an official ban on the rally.
Hundreds of protesting groups gathered at Place Vauban in central Paris to draw attention to what activists describe as a growing wave of executions in Iran during the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Protesters chanted slogans including: “Down with the dictatorship in Iran” and “French government, shame on you.”
Some participants also carried portraits of Iranians who had been executed by Iranian authorities.
French police had banned the protest in advance, citing concerns about potential clashes during a tense national and international security environment. Despite the ban, several buses carrying groups arrived at the venue.
Authorities later dispersed the crowd and made about 20 arrests, according to a police source who told AFP.
Afchine Alavi, a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), criticised the arrests.
“They arrested about 20 people for no reason,” Alavi said.
He also claimed police used pepper spray and that several people were injured during the operation.
The protest was organised by Iranian diaspora groups alongside French and international human rights organisations.
Organisers had sought a court order to overturn the ban, but a Paris court upheld the decision on Saturday.
Human rights groups say more than 40 people have been executed in Iran since the conflict began, including individuals allegedly linked to anti-government protests.
