It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Sunday, September 25, 2022
Kurdish revolution teaches us to be wary of Western solidarity on Ukraine
The Rojava revolution, which broke out with the onset of the Syrian Civil War brought freedom to millions of local Kurds, Arabs, and minorities, and hope to many more people across the globe. But it also showed that the Western left could not be trusted. In the UK and elsewhere, many comrades failed to stand in solidarity with the revolutionary element in that terrible conflict.
As Russia’s war in Ukraine rages on, the same sections of the left are repeating the same cruel, cynical slogans. As in Syria, we must listen to local leftists who are taking a principled, democratic stand in the face of the onslaught of imperialist violence by Putin’s Russia. A failure of solidarity with Rojava
In the course of the Syrian conflict, we learned the hard way that the British left can struggle to take a stance on issues which should be trivially obvious. Some elements of the left struggled to condemn ISIS, framing their rise as the sole result of Western intervention in the region. The authoritarian left struggled to condemn the Assad regime, responsible for mass butchery and the bulk of war crimes committed in the country.
On the other hand, leftists of all stripes found reasons to condemn the Kurdish-led Rojava revolution. Some attacked the direct-democratic political project in North and East Syria (NES) for working alongside US airstrikes to defeat ISIS. Some attacked it for coordinating with the Assad regime to ensure continued supply of basic essentials to civilians in the region under its control.
Neither side stopped to look at the other and realise that the situation in NES was far too complicated to fit their black-and-white narratives. Meanwhile, comrades on the ground were sacrificing their lives, and making whatever tough compromises were necessary, to keep their people alive.
I once heard the region’s top political figure Ilham Ahmed tell a roomful of conservative sheikhs who had happily worked with ISIS but were now complaining about Rojava coordinating with the Syrian government in Damascus:
I know how brutal the regime is. They have tortured and killed my friends. But I will sit down and negotiate with anyone who isn’t actually trying to cut my head off.
No one can claim this is not a courageous or principled position. It is easy for Western leftists to sneer at comrades overseas, to wallow in purity politics which get them off the hook from actually doing anything. It’s difficult to do what Ilham and her comrades are doing. Our job is to stand alongside them and support them. Standing with comrades on the ground
The conflicts in Syria and Ukraine are linked. Each forms a part of the ongoing contest between hard Russian imperialism and the USA’s subtler attempts to remain the dominant force on the global stage. The USA keeps troops in Syria not only because of the region’s paltry oilfields but in order to maintain a beachhead disrupting the Russian-Iranian axis of influence in the Middle East, while the Ukraine war has drawn previously recalcitrant European powers closer to a US-defined regional policy. Meanwhile, Russia’s naked aggression has darkened the skies in both Ukraine and Syria.
There is not an obvious revolutionary third line in Ukraine, as there is in NES. Nonetheless, we must recognise Russia’s invasion for what it is – the bloody and destructive expansion of a capitalist regime. We do not need to think NATO or the Ukrainian government are worthy of support in and of themselves to recognise the need to stand with Ukrainian people.
As such, we must support comrades working to stop or mitigate the brutal invasion – on both sides of the frontline. Like our comrades in the Rojava revolution, Ukrainian socialists and anarchists are not only risking their lives, but setting aside their own ideological disagreements with the Ukrainian state to fight for what is self-evidently right.
Even if they are not willing to listen to comrades from the region when they call on the Western left to avoid “leftist Westsplaining” and ‘moral relativizing’, anyone who sits in their bedroom in the UK and praises Assad or Putin in the name of ‘anti-imperialism’ need only count the bodies.
Resist Russia in Ukraine and the West at home
We live in a world of uneven but multiple imperial capitalist poles, of which the USA is the richest, most powerful, and all-pervasive, and Russia the most brutal on the battlefield. In the Syrian conflict, Russia and its allies have been by far the most brutal on the battlefield, bearing responsibility for the majority of civilian deaths outside of the Syrian regime itself. Meanwhile post-Iraq the USA has adopted a subtler military doctrine of proxy warfare and power projection. Each must be resisted in their own way. Supporting the resistance against Russia does not diminish our efforts to challenge Western capitalist hegemony at home.
In different ways, both the Ukranians and the Kurds have felt the sting of Western indifference, exceptionalism, and – in the Kurds’ case – orientalism. At the same time, the Rojava revolution reawakened a spirit of socialist internationalism in this country and elsewhere. In this spirit, we must stand alongside our comrades making tough choices in Syria, Ukraine, and across the globe.
Featured image via the author, courtesy of the Internationalist Commune of Rojava
UPDATE 3
Iranians protest for tenth night, defying judiciary warning
Iranians march during a pro-hijab rally in the capital Tehran on September 23, 2022. Thousands of people marched through Iran's capital during a pro-hijab rally Friday, paying tribute to security forces who have moved to quell a week of protests by what media called ‘conspirators’. — AFP pic
Monday, 26 Sep 2022 7:15 AM MYT
PARIS, Sept 26 — Iranians took to the streets for a tenth consecutive night Sunday, defying a warning from the judiciary, to protest the death of young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in morality police custody.
At least 41 people have died since the unrest began, mostly protesters but including members of the Islamic republic’s security forces, according to an official toll, although other sources say the real figure is higher
Oslo-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) on Sunday evening said the death toll was at least 57, but noted that ongoing internet blackouts were making it increasingly difficult to confirm fatalities in a context where the women-led protests have spread to scores of cities.
Echoing an earlier warning by President Ebrahim Raisi, judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei on Sunday “emphasised the need for decisive action without leniency” against the core instigators of the “riots”, the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said.
Hundreds of demonstrators, reformist activists and journalists have been arrested amid the mostly night-time demonstrations since unrest first broke out after Amini’s death on September 16.
Amini, whose Kurdish first name was Jhina, was detained three days before that for allegedly breaching rules mandating tightly-fitted hijab head coverings and which ban, among other things, ripped jeans and brightly coloured clothes.
Images circulated by IHR showed protesters on the streets of Tehran, shouting “death to the dictator”, purportedly after nightfall on Sunday.
Witnesses told AFP that protests were ongoing in several locations. Video footage showed demonstrations in Tabriz and Shiraz, among other places, with women removing their headscarves and protesters shouting against the authorities.
‘Rolling blackouts’
Iran’s largest protests in almost three years have seen security forces fire live rounds and bird shot, rights groups charge, while protesters have hurled rocks, torched police cars and set ablaze state buildings.
Some women protesters have burnt their hijabs in the rallies and cut off their hair, some dancing near large bonfires to the applause of crowds that have chanted “zan, zendegi, azadi” or “woman, life, freedom”.
Video of demonstrations on Saturday, verified by AFP, showed students ripping down a picture of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei outside a university in the northern province of Mazandaran.
Web monitor NetBlocks noted “rolling blackouts” and “widespread internet platform restrictions” on Sunday, with WhatsApp, Instagram and Skype having already been blocked.
This followed older bans on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Telegram.
Protests abroad have been held in solidarity with Iranian women in Athens, Berlin, Brussels, Istanbul, Madrid, New York and Paris, among other cities.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell deplored the security forces’ response to the unrest as “disproportionate... unjustifiable and unacceptable”.
Iran, which has been hit with tough economic sanctions over its nuclear programme, has blamed “foreign plots” for the unrest.
Iran’s foreign ministry said Sunday it had summoned Britain’s ambassador over what it described as an “invitation to riots” by Farsi-speaking media based in London, and Norway’s envoy over “unconstructive comments” made by his country’s parliament speaker.
Foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Amir-Abdollahian criticised “the US interventionist approach in the affairs of Iran... including its provocative actions in supporting the rioters”.
Pro-government rally
Iran has also organised large rallies in defence of the hijab and conservative values.
Pro-government rallies were held Sunday, with the main event taking place in Enghelab (Revolution) Square in central Tehran, where demonstrators voiced support for mandatory hijab laws.
“Martyrs died so that this hijab will be on our head,” said demonstrator Nafiseh, 28, adding that she was opposed to making the wearing of the hijab voluntary.
Another demonstrator, 21-year-old student Atyieh, called for “strong action against the people who are leading” the protests.
The main reformist group inside Iran, the Union of Islamic Iran People’s Party, however, has called for the repeal of the mandatory dress code.
IHR reported on Sunday that an umbrella of Iranian teachers’ unions were calling on teachers and students to boycott classes on Monday and Wednesday in support of the protests.
Iranian authorities have yet to state the cause of death of Amini, who activists say died as a result of a blow to the head.
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi has said Amini was not beaten and that “we must wait for the final opinion of the medical examiner”. — AFP
Thousands take part in anti-government protests in Iran | WNT
‘We’ll give our lives to Ayatollah Khamenei’ – Tehran recruits radical militias to crush Iranian protests over hijab woman who died in police custody
A woman takes part in a protest in Nicosia, Cyprus, following the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran. Photo: Reuters/Yiannis Kourtoglou
Ahmed Vahdat
September 26 2022 Iran has recruited extremist foreign militias to clamp down on growing demonstrations in cities across the country, it emerged yesterday.
Militias from Syria, Lebanon and Iraq calling themselves “the volunteers from Islamic lands” announced in a social media post online that they were joining the Tehran regime’s clampdown on public dissent.
As demonstrators continued to protest against the fate of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after being arrested for incorrectly wearing a hijab, the militia group said it was “spontaneously formed” and its members are “willing to give their lives to Ayatollah Khamenei”.
Its members are followers of Qassem Suleimani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force who was killed by a US drone attack in January last year.
Iranian opposition groups have identified them as radical Shia militias that take their orders directly from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Iran’s foreign ministry yesterday summoned the British ambassador to complain about “the presence of media outlets in London that instigate riot and destruction in Iran”. BBC Persian, ManoTo and Iran International TV operate from London and have covered Iran’s protests through their satellite channels.
Also yesterday, hundreds of British Iranians gathered at Iran’s embassy in London to support the protests and call on the British government to sever diplomatic ties with Tehran. There were clashes with police during the demonstration and at least one person was arrested.
Protests continued across Iranian cities yesterday with public figures increasingly siding with the protesters and condemning the regime’s heavy-handed response, which has led to at least 80 deaths, according to unconfirmed reports.
Demonstrations also took place around the world, including in Glasgow where a large group carried signs which read “Hijab murder” and “no to Islamic Republic of Iran”. Women were seen shaving their heads as part of the protest.
In a video message from Zurich, where he is president of the international competition jury at the city’s film festival, Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi invited artists all around the world to demonstrate their solidarity with the Iranian people “during these challenging times”.
“This society, especially these women, has travelled a harsh and painful path to this point, and now they have clearly reached a landmark,” he said.
Internet and phone lines have been cut off in Ms Amini’s home province of Kurdistan. In the Kurdish town of Oshnaviyeh, protesters drove the local Revolutionary Guards out of their barracks and seized bases used by the Basij militias, who act as the regime’s foot soldiers.
Meanwhile, Iranian lawyers have called on the United Nations to hold a referendum on the governance of the country.
“In the previous historic cases of free elections in Chile and South Africa, where the UN acted in accordance with its charter to uphold peace and security of the world, the outcome led to change of regimes in a peaceful way,” Saeid Dehghan, a member of the International Association of Lawyers, said.
“There is no reason why the same cannot be applied to Iran’s situation, where a repressive regime is rejected by millions of its citizens,” he added.
Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Mass protests in Iran over death of Mahsa
Amini may assume dimensions of social
uprising
ANI 26th September 2022, 11:55 GMT+10
By John SolomouNicosia [Cyprus],
September 26 (ANI): For more than a week, mass protests are being held in more than 80 towns and cities across the 31 provinces of Iran over the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman called Mahsa Amini, who died shortly after she was arrested by the hated morality police of the Theocratic regime. At least 41 people, including members of the security forces, were so far killed in clashes between protesters and anti-riot police and militia in escalating street violence which may rapidly assume the dimensions of a social uprising.
Mahsa Amini was arrested on September 13 as she was leaving a Tehran metro station with her brother and other relatives. She was arrested along with other women whose clothes did not comply with state regulations and taken away in a morality police van. Mahsa was in a coma for three days, then died "of natural causes," as the authorities claim, but according to activists, the cause of her death was a fatal blow to the head.
The incident unleashed huge anger among ordinary Iranians, who find it extremely difficult to make ends meet, living under international sanctions, without seeing any visible sign of improvement in the economy of the country, which is badly mismanaged. Many Iranians realize that they have less and less to lose and feel strongly repressed by the strict rules imposed by the Iranian regime.
Women in Iran are even more repressed as they must obey a strict dress code or risk being arrested and ill-treated by the morality police, known as Gasht-e Ershad, which means Islamic Guidance Patrol.
The regulations mandate that women cover their hair, usually with a headscarf known as a hijab, and wear clothing that is loose-fitting and does not expose their chests. To enter some mosques, women are required to wear chadors - a large piece of cloth that leaves only the face or the eyes visible.
Once more, following the death of Mahsa, women in Iran are at the forefront of the current protests, as they did back in 2009 during the Green Movement protests that demanded the removal of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from office when hundreds were arrested and many died, and the brutally suppressed protests in November 2019 when the government ordered a 50 per cent increase in the subsidized price of gasoline. It is estimated that more than 1500 people were killed during the gasoline protests.
After Mahsa Amina's death, some women publicly cut their hair and burned their headscarves, in defiance of the Iranian authorities. Immediately, Mahsa became a symbol of the protest movement.
The incident has triggered angry protests not only by women but also by hundreds of thousands of men who had a woman relative insulted or mistreated by the morality police and who want to express their resentment for the repressive policies of the Iranian state.
Initially protests concentrated in Iran's Kurdish populated regions, which have declared a general strike, but later spread like a wildfire to more than 80 cities and towns.
Ebrahim Raisi, the Iranian President, has promised a thorough investigation to be carried out into Mahsa's death. While blaming conspirators for inciting unrest, he called the events "a riot." Raisi pledged to crack down on "those who oppose the country's security and tranquillity" and said it was necessary to distinguish between protest and disturbing public order and security.
According to Iranian state-backed news agency Tasmin, at least 1,200 people have been arrested.
In southern Iran, protesters burned a huge portrait of General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in January 2020 by a US strike in Iraq. In Tehran and many other towns, protesters set fire to police stations and police cars and chanted anti-regime slogans, Irna news agency reported.
Protesters express their deep resentment and anger that has been building over the years and they clash with the police and paramilitary groups sent to dispel them, torching police stations and shouting slogans against the "dictator", meaning Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Yalda Zarbakch, Head of Deutsche Welle Persian Service says: "Demonstrators are tearing down posters of the revolutionary leaders Khamenei and Khomeini, burning them, and loudly demanding the fall of the entire political system. More and more people have turned their backs on the regime, its ideology and even Islam as a whole. And this is now true even of people from more traditional classes of society."Last Thursday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) called on the judiciary to prosecute people who are circulating "false news and rumours."Trying to prevent protestors from gathering and stop images of the protests from reaching the outside world, the Iranian regime has imposed tough restrictions on the use of the internet and access to Instagram and WhatsApp, according to residents and internet watchdog NetBlocks. On Saturday one of the biggest mobile phone operators disrupted its service.
SpaceX and Starlink owner Elon Musk said he would seek an exemption from sanctions to offer his company's Starlink satellite service, which has a network of 2200 satellites in orbit, to Iranian people.
The US administration immediately responded by announcing that it was easing the relevant export restrictions. Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State said that Starlink will "help counter the Iranian government's efforts to surveil and censor its citizens" and pointedly added: " It is clear that the Iranian government is afraid of its own people."Iran's Theocracy is currently faced with a huge dilemma: Either relax the strict hijab rules that are a distinguishing feature of the Islamic Republic, calming in this way popular anger against it- but risking more protests demanding a change in the regime- or continue its relentless crackdown on dissent, increasing further popular anger- risking eventually a big social uprising that could bring about its final downfall. (ANI)
Protesters take to Iran’s streets for 10th night but situation obscure as regime takes country offline
The challenge to the authorities is now said to be the biggest since 2009's Green Revolution movement. / Social media.
By bne IntelIiNewsSeptember 25, 2022
Establishing the latest situation in Iran, a country on September 25 torn by violent unrest for a tenth straight night, has become a formidable task for foreign media. Most communication with the country is restricted to telephone calls, given the government’s decision to largely take Iranians offline to disrupt those who want to topple the regime. There is little reporting from the ground.
Whether the authorities have substantially stepped up their attempts to put down the protests is not even clear to many at different ends of the country. President Ebrahim Raisi on September 25 pledged to crack down on “those who oppose the country’s security and tranquility”. The protesters, he said, would be dealt with “decisively”. The head of Iran's powerful judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, earlier in the day was reported by the judiciary's official Mizan Online media channel as emphasising "the need for decisive action without leniency" against the primary instigators of what he described as "riots".
Josep Borrell, the European Union's foreign policy chief, called Iran's crackdown "unjustifiable" and "unacceptable."
The authorities are referring to around 40 people killed during clashes between protesters and security forces, including five security personnel. But activists say the death toll is at least 50 and likely to be even higher. Many hundreds have been arrested.
Demonstrations have spread to most of Iran’s 31 provinces and almost all urban centres. The weekend saw demonstrators rally in support of the protesters in Iran in countries including Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Lebanon, Turkey, the UK, Canada and the United States.
The protests in the theocratic state began as a reaction to the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, an ethnic Kurd who fell into a coma and died after an encounter with Tehran morality police who were enforcing laws on the wearing of the hijab head covering and other legally decreed attire by women. Witnesses have claimed Amini was beaten. Officials have denied that was the case but have promised a probe into the events that led up to her death. The cause of death would be established by a medical examiner, they said.
Observers have started referring to the demonstrations as the biggest challenge to the regime since the anti-government protest in 2009, known as the green revolution, which followed contentious presidential elections.
“The main difference between the current protest compared to the green movement in 2009 is that now people are fighting back; they are not afraid of the brutal regime,” Sima Sabet, an Iranian journalist and presenter on the Iran International TV station, told the Guardian.
“Demonstrators are now burning ambulances because the government is using ambulances to move their security forces not to rescue people. The protesters are now using different tactics; they move between all cities and make it hard for security forces to control all locations,” Sabet added, also noting: “They have tactics about how to send their videos outside of Iran despite the cut-off of the internet… [and] for the first time now in Iran women are burning their hijabs with the support of men.”
Meir Javedanfar, who teaches Iranian politics at Reichman University in Israel, was quoted by Reuters as describing the protests as a milestone for Iranians angered by "a corrupt and incompetent regime". "These protests will not be the last. We will see more. But we are unlikely to see a revolution until and unless there is a leader and at least part of Iran's armed forces starts siding with the people against the regime. None of this has happened yet," he said.
One tactic used by the state against the protesters is the organising of counter-demonstrations. Such events, in which some sections of crowds called for the execution of “conspirators” behind the unrest, took place in several Iranian cities on September 23.
Sources described to the BBC how in parts of at least one small city, Oshnavieh, in northwest Iran’s West Azerbaijan province, government forces fled after losing effective control. They were said to have retreated to the outskirts before returning and regaining control.
State media denied the claims, saying protesters had stormed three outposts of the Basij Organisation, a paramilitary associated with the government's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
In terms of the level of the security forces’ response to the protests, Amnesty International has warned that evidence it gathered indicated "a harrowing pattern of Iranian security forces deliberately and unlawfully firing live ammunition at protesters". Government forces, it alleged, shot 19 people dead—including three children—on the night of September 21 alone.
US-based media watchdog the Committee to Protect Journalists said 11 journalists have been detained in Iran in the past week.
Radio Farda reported that on September 25 in Tehran, students gathered at Tehran University to chant slogans including "Freedom, freedom, freedom!" and "We will fight, we will die, we will take back Iran!"
On September 23, the US announced that it was easing export restrictions on Iran to expand access to internet services. The Treasury said in a statement that it intended to increase support for internet freedom in Iran by updating a general licence allowing access to certain services, software and hardware.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk responded to the US announcement by saying that he would activate the firm's satellite internet service, Starlink, to cover Iran.
UPDATE 2
French police use tear gas on Iran protesters in Paris
People face riot police as they take part in a demonstration in support of Iranian
protesters in Paris, on September 25, 2022. — AFP pic
Monday, 26 Sep 2022 7:18 AM MYT
PARIS, Sept 26 — French police on Sunday used tear gas and employed anti-riot tactics to prevent hundreds of people protesting in Paris from marching on Tehran’s embassy, AFP reporters and eyewitnesses said.
In London meanwhile, police made several arrests as officers clashed with protesters trying to break through barriers protecting Iran’s UK embassy.
-ADVERTISEMENT-
The protesters in Paris had gathered for the second day running to express outrage at the death of Mahsa Amini following her arrest by Iran’s morality police last week — and to show solidarity with the protests that have erupted in Iran.
The demonstration had begun peacefully at Trocadero Square in the centre of the capital. Some demonstrators chanted “Death to the Islamic Republic” and slogans against supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
But police in full anti-riot armour, backed by a line of vans, blocked the path of the protesters as they sought to approach the Iranian embassy a short distance away.
Police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters.
In a statement, Paris police confirmed that tear gas had been used saying “on several occasions groups tried to break through the roadblock set up near the Iranian embassy. The police used... tear gas to repel them.”
They said some 4,000 people had gathered for the demonstration. One person was arrested for “outrage and rebellion” and one officer was slightly hurt, said police.
Breach police lines
The use of tear gas angered activists already upset by President Emmanuel Macron’s talks and public handshake with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last week.
“Police used tear gas to disperse Iranian protesters in Paris in an effort to protect the Islamic Republic embassy,” tweeted the US-based Iranian women’s rights activist Masih Alinejad.
“Meanwhile, @EmmanuelMacron shook hands with the murderous president of Iran.”
Protesters also repeated the viral Persian chants used by protesters inside Iran such as “zan, zendegi, azadi!” (woman, life, freedom!) and also its Kurdish equivalent “jin, jiyan, azadi!” Amini, also known as Jhina Amini, was Kurdish.
“In view of what is happening, we Iranians are fully mobilised,” said Nina, a Paris-based French Iranian who asked that her last name was not given. “We must react given that we are far from our homeland, our country.
“It’s really time we all come together so we can really speak up so the whole world can really hear our voice,” she added.
Similarly tense scenes took place in London, where images posted on social media showed protesters seeking to break through police security barriers outside the Iranian embassy there.
London police said a large number of protesters had gathered outside the embassy, “with a substantial group intent on causing disorder.”
“Further police resources were brought in to support those on the ground after protesters attempted to breach police lines and had thrown missiles at officers,” the police said in a statement.
Police made five arrests and several officers received minor injuries, the statement added. — AFP
Unrest erupts near Iranian embassy in
London over Mahsa Amini's death
Violent street protests erupted outside the Iranian embassy in London on Sunday, with rocks thrown at police and five protesters arrested.
Demonstrators hold placards outside the Iranian Embassy in London. (Photo: AP)
Violent street protests erupted outside the Iranian embassy in London on Sunday, with rocks thrown at police and five protesters arrested.
Large crowds have been gathering all week outside the Knightsbridge compound in protest against the death in Iranian police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in Iran. She had been arrested by Iran’s morality police for allegedly breaking headscarf rules and died on Sept. 16.
London’s Metropolitan Police said that “a substantial group” of the large crowd were “intent on causing disorder” and confirmed that reinforcements had been called in when protesters tried to break police lines and storm towards the embassy compound.
A number of police officers were injured in the skirmishes though none seriously, and some arrests were made for violent disorder.
The London street protest comes at a time of growing hostility between Britain and Iran over the death in custody of Amini. The Iranian police said she died of a heart attack and was not mistreated, but her family has cast doubt on that account.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s website said it summoned Simon Shercliff, the U.K.’s ambassador to Iran, on Saturday and protested the hosting of critical Farsi-language media outlets. The ministry alleges the news outlets have provoked disturbances and the spread of riots in Iran at the top of their programs. Protests over Amini’s death have spread across at least 46 cities, towns and villages in Iran.
Iran said it considers the news agencies’ reporting to be interference in Iran’s internal affairs and acts against its sovereignty.
The beefed-up police operation in the vicinity of the Iranian Embassy in London’s Princes Gate will remain in place.
Police clash with Iran protesters in London
and Paris
Sun, September 25, 2022
Police clashed with demonstrators trying to reach Iran's embassies in London and Paris on Sunday.
French police used tear gas and employed anti-riot tactics to prevent hundreds of people protesting in the capital from marching on Tehran's diplomatic mission, AFP reporters and eyewitnesses said.
In London, police said they made 12 arrests and five officers were "seriously injured" as demonstrators tried to break through barriers protecting Iran's UK embassy.
The protesters in Paris had gathered for the second day running to express outrage at the death of Mahsa Amini following her arrest by Iran's morality police -- and to show solidarity with the protests that have erupted in Iran, at a cost of at least 41 lives.
Similar rallies in support of Iranian women have occurred around the world.
The demonstration had began peacefully at Trocadero Square in the centre of the French capital. Some protesters chanted "Death to the Islamic Republic" and slogans against supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
But police in full anti-riot armour, backed by a line of vans, blocked the path of the protesters as they sought to approach the Iranian embassy a short distance away.
Police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters.
In a statement, Paris police said that "on several occasions groups tried to break through the roadblock set up near the Iranian embassy. The police used... tear gas to repel them."
They said about 4,000 people had gathered for the demonstration. One person was arrested for "outrage and rebellion" and one officer was slightly hurt, said police. - Breach police lines -
The use of tear gas angered activists already upset by President Emmanuel Macron's talks and public handshake with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last week.
"Police used tear gas to disperse Iranian protesters in Paris in an effort to protect the Islamic Republic embassy," tweeted the US-based Iranian women's rights activist Masih Alinejad.
"Meanwhile, @EmmanuelMacron shook hands with the murderous president of Iran."
Protesters also repeated the viral Persian chants used by protesters inside Iran such as "zan, zendegi, azadi!" (woman, life, freedom!) and also its Kurdish equivalent "jin, jiyan, azadi!" Amini, also known as Jhina Amini, was Kurdish.
"In view of what is happening, we Iranians are fully mobilised," said Nina, a Paris-based French Iranian who asked that her last name was not given. "We must react given that we are far from our homeland, our country.
"It's really time we all come together so we can really speak up so the whole world can really hear our voice," she added.
Similarly tense scenes took place in London, where images posted on social media showed protesters seeking to break through police security barriers outside the Iranian embassy there.
London's Metropolitan Police said "masonry, bottles and other projectiles were thrown and a number of officers were injured. At least five are in hospital with injuries including broken bones."
Earlier, police said a large number of protesters had gathered outside the embassy "with a substantial group intent on causing disorder."
Protesters clashed with police in London and Paris when they attempted to enter Iran's embassies on Sunday. Watch | Police clash with protesters in central London and Paris,
As per AFP witnesses, French police deployed tear gas and anti-riot techniques to stop hundreds of protesters from moving toward Tehran's diplomatic mission while protesting in the capital.
In London, police reported that till now 12 arrests have been made, along with five police officers "severely injured" as protesters attempted to storm through barricades surrounding the embassy. Several offenders were injured as masonry, bottles, and other objects were thrown. At least five people were severely injured.
For the second consecutive day in Paris, hundreds gathered to voice their outrage over the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran and to show their support for the unrest that began in the country. As per Iran's official toll, 41 lives have been claimed within 10 days of the protest.
The protest at Trocadero Square started calmly. The protesters tried to approach the nearby Iranian embassy but were blocked by the police using tear gas. The French police, in a statement, said, "on several occasions groups tried to break through the roadblock set up near the Iranian embassy. The police used... tear gas to repel them," AFP reported.
Death to the Islamic Republic and other anti-supreme leaders Ayatollah Ali Khamenei chants were screamed by the protesters. Almost 4,000 people showed up for the protest.
Agitated protesters were already unhappy because French President Emmanuel Macron shook hands with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi last week outside the UN General Assembly.
Similar protests have been taking place in several parts of the world, showing their support for Iranian women.
(With inputs from agencies)
Iranian Americans demonstrate in Atlanta Sep 25, 2022 Associated Press
Iranian Americans in Atlanta demonstrated on Sunday in support of protesters in Iran. (Sept. 25)
UPDATE 1
Iranians return to streets in fresh protests despite hundreds of arrests Sep 25, 2022 FRANCE 24 English
Protests flared again in Iran Saturday over the death of a woman in morality police custody, despite a crackdown by security forces in which at least 41 people have died, according to official figures.
Photos: Protesters rally in Minneapolis over the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran MPR News Staff Minneapolis September 25, 2022 8:21 AM Dozens of people chant "women, life, freedom" during a rally Saturday on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis to condemn the killing in custody of Mahsa Amini in Iran and to protest the current Iranian regime. Nicole Neri for MPR News
Demonstrators gathered in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday to express their outrage at the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran.
Amini, 22, was detained in Tehran by the country’s morality police, enforcers of the country’s strict dress code. She was arrested allegedly for wearing her hijab too loosely. She later died at a hospital on Sept. 16.
Women across Iran have cut their hijabs and hair in protest since Amini’s death. In solidarity, women at the Minneapolis rally on Saturday did the same. They also called for an end the current Iranian regime. Photojournalist Nicole Neri captured scenes from the rally for MPR News. Rally for Mahsa Amini on Nicollet Mall
Dozens of protestors gather Saturday on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis to condemn the killing of Mahsa Amini, whose family says she was beaten by Iranian authorities while in custody in Tehran. Protesters called for an end to Iran's compulsory hijab laws and the end of the Iranian regime.
Dozens chant during a rally on Nicollet Mall on Saturday condemning the killing in custody of Mahsa Amini and criticizing the Iranian regime.
Mansoureh Abavini (left) and Tamara Ahmed (right) share Ahmed's keffiyeh as rain starts to fall during a rally on Nicollet Mall on Saturday condemning the killing in custody of Mahsa Amini.
Fahimeh Maanavi (left) and Mansoureh Abavini (right) cheer while holding locks of their own hair while a woman cuts hers during a rally on Nicollet Mall on Saturday to condemn the killing in custody of Mahsa Amini in Iran. Amini's family said she was arrested for violating Iran's strict hijab laws.
Artemis Moshgbar chants "Women, Life, Freedom" in Farsi after cutting her hair during a rally on Nicollet Mall on Saturday condemning the killing in custody of Mahsa Amini.
Scissors, hair, and pieces of hijab lie on the sidewalk after women symbolically cut them during a rally on Nicollet Mall on Saturday condemning the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran.
A woman chants Mahsa Amini's name with tears in her eyes during a rally Saturday on Nicollet Mall condemning the Iranian regime.
Iran will act decisively against protestors, says President Ebrahim Raisi
Demonstration had erupted after a woman detained for wearing hijab in an ‘improper manner’ died in police custody.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday that his government will act decisively on protests that broke out after the death of a 22-year-old woman in the custody of the religious police, Reuters reported.
Raisi said that the country must “deal decisively with those who oppose the country’s security and tranquility”.
The protests broke out a week ago at the funeral of Mahsa Amini, who was detained on September 13 in Tehran by the police unit that enforces the country’s obligatory dress codes, including the mandatory wearing of the headscarf in public. The police accused her of wearing hijab in an “improper manner”, according to AFP.
Officials say that she died of a heart attack on September 16 while in custody. However, critics believe she was physically assaulted in detention on accusations of violating the hijab mandate.
Protests over the incident have left at least 50 persons dead.
Raisi on Saturday said there was a need “to distinguish between protest and disturbing public order and security” and described the ongoing events as a riot, Reuters quoted state media as saying.
On Thursday, the Iranian president had warned protesters on Thursday against creating chaos in the country.
“There is freedom of expression in Iran... but acts of chaos are unacceptable,” said Raisi. “If there is a party at fault, it certainly must be investigated. I contacted the family of the deceased at the very first opportunity and I assured them personally that we will continue steadfastly to investigate the incident.”
Meanwhile, the country’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on Saturday that Amini was not beaten in custody, the BBC reported.
“Reports from oversight bodies were received, witnesses were interviewed, videos were reviewed, forensic opinions were obtained and it was found that there had been no beating,” he said.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on Saturday attacked a Kurdish militant base in northern Iraq amid the protests, the Associated Press reported.
The attacks were reportedly in response to support by the militant group for the demonstrations and their alleged attempts to push weapons into Iran.
According to the Iran Human Rights, the protests have spread to 80 towns and cities in the country. Women have led the demonstrations, with many removing their headscarves and burning them as men cheered them on, videos on social media showed.
Iran protesters return to the streets, defying a deadly crackdown
At least 41 people have been killed in the week-long unrest, state television said on Saturday as protests erupted across Iran and the rest of the world over the death of a woman in police custody. Hundreds of angry demonstrators have been arrested, along with reformist activists and journalists Source: AAP / DPA
Protests flared again in Iran on Saturday over the death of a woman in morality police custody, despite a crackdown by security forces in which at least 41 people have died, according to official figures.
The main reformist party inside Iran called for the repeal of the mandatory dress code that Mahsa Amini had been accused of breaching as the protests over her death entered their ninth night.
Why women in Iran are chopping off their hair and burning their headscarves 23 Sep 2022, 12:42 am
Web monitor NetBlocks reported that Skype was now restricted in Iran as part of a crackdown on communications that has already targeted the last accessible international platforms Instagram, WhatsApp and LinkedIn.
Hundreds of angry demonstrators have been arrested, along with reformist activists and journalists.
Twenty-two-year-old Ms Amini was pronounced dead after spending three days in a coma following her arrest by the morality police.
State television said the death toll had risen to 41.
It aired footage of "rioters" on the streets in north and west Tehran as well as "some provinces", and said they had set fire to public and private property.
Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights put the death toll at 54, excluding security personnel.
It said that in many cases, authorities had made the return of bodies to families contingent on them agreeing to secret burials.
The group said most of the deaths had come in the Caspian Sea provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran.
A woman cuts her hair during a rally at the Boston Common in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, on 24 September 2022. Source: AAP / EPA
Waves of arrests have been reported, with the Gilan police chief announcing "the arrest of 739 rioters, including 60 women" in that province alone.
Protests broke out again on Saturday night in the Gilan provincial capital Rasht as well as in various parts of Tehran, according to videos posted on social media.
Anti-riot police deployed in northern Tehran in large numbers after night-fall, witnesses told AFP.
One viral video, purportedly from Saturday evening, showed a woman defiantly swinging her headscarf above her head as she walked in the middle of a Tehran street.
Security forces have also arrested reformist activists and journalists, with Sherif Mansour of US-based media watchdog the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reporting 17 had been detained since the protests began.
They include Niloufar Hamedi of the reformist newspaper Shargh, who reported on Ms Amini's death.
Militia bases attacked
Elsewhere, the Norway-based Kurdish rights group Hengaw said protesters "took control" of parts of the town of Oshnaviyeh, in West Azerbaijan province.
Iran's judiciary said "rioters attacked three Basij bases" in Oshnaviyeh, referring to the state-sanctioned Islamic militia.
But it denied the security forces had lost control of the town.
Ultra-conservative President Ebrahim Raisi vowed to deal "decisively" with those behind the violence in a phone call on Saturday with the family of a Basij militiaman killed in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
His comment came after Amnesty International warned of "the risk of further bloodshed amid a deliberately imposed internet blackout".
The London-based human rights group said the evidence it gathered from 20 cities pointed to "a harrowing pattern of Iranian security forces deliberately and unlawfully firing live ammunition at protesters".
Ms Amini died on 16 September following her arrest by Iran's morality police, a unit responsible for enforcing the country's strict dress code for women.
Activists said she suffered a blow to the head in custody, but this has not been confirmed by the Iranian authorities, who have opened an investigation.
The main reformist group inside Iran, the Union of Islamic Iran People's Party, called for the repeal of the mandatory dress code and the winding down of the morality police.
A woman holds aloft the scarf she was forced to wear while at home in Iran as protesters rally at the Boston Common in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, on 24 September 2022. Source: AAP / EPA
The party, which is led by former aides of reformist ex-president Mohammad Khatami who oversaw a thaw with the West between 1997 and 2005, also called on the government to "authorise peaceful demonstrations" and release those detained in recent days. 'No beating'
Thousands took part in government-backed counter-rallies in defence of the dress code on Friday.
Iran's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi insisted Ms Amini had not been beaten.
He said Iran was still investigating the cause of her death, adding: "We must wait for the final opinion of the medical examiner, which takes time".
Amnesty dismissed the Iranian probe and called on the world to take "meaningful action" against the bloody crackdown.
"UN member states must go beyond toothless statements, hear the cries for justice from victims and human rights defenders in Iran and urgently set up an independent UN investigative mechanism," said Heba Morayef, its director for the Middle East and North Africa.
Iran has imposed tough restrictions on the use of the internet in a bid to hamper protesters gathering and stop the flow of images of the backlash from reaching the outside world.
The United States announced Friday it was easing export restrictions on Iran to help expand internet services for its people.
Iranians return to streets in fresh protests despite hundreds of arrests
NEWS WIRES -
Protests flared again in Iran Saturday over the death of a woman in morality police custody, despite a crackdown by security forces in which at least 41 people have died, according to official figures.
Web monitor NetBlocks reported that Skype was now restricted in Iran, as part of a crackdown on communications that has already targeted the last accessible international platforms Instagram, WhatsApp and LinkedIn.
Hundreds of angry demonstrators have been arrested, along with reformist activists and journalists.
Twenty-two-year-old Amini was pronounced dead after spending three days in a coma following her arrest by the morality police.
State television said the death toll had risen to 41. It aired footage of "rioters" on the streets in north and west Tehran as well as "some provinces", and said they had set fire to public and private property.
Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights put the death toll at 54, excluding security personnel. It said that in many cases authorities had made the return of bodies to families contingent on them agreeing to secret burials.
The group said most of the deaths had come in the Caspian Sea provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran.
Waves of arrests have been reported, with the Gilan police chief announcing "the arrest of 739 rioters, including 60 women" in that province alone.
Protests broke out again on Saturday night in the Gilan provincial capital Rasht as well as in various parts of Tehran, according to videos posted on social media.
Anti-riot police deployed in northern Tehran in large numbers after night-fall, witnesses told AFP.
One viral video, purportedly from Saturday evening, showed a woman defiantly swinging her headscarf above her head as she walked in the middle of a Tehran street.
Security forces have also arrested reformist activists and journalists, with Sherif Mansour of US-based media watchdog the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reporting 17 had been detained since the protests began.
They include Niloufar Hamedi of the reformist newspaper Shargh, who reported on Amini's death.
Militia bases attacked
Elsewhere, the Norway-based Kurdish rights group Hengaw said protesters "took control" of parts of the town of Oshnaviyeh, in West Azerbaijan province.
Iran's judiciary said "rioters attacked three Basij bases" in Oshnaviyeh, referring to the state-sanctioned Islamic militia. But it denied the security forces had lost control of the town.
Ultra-conservative President Ebrahim Raisi vowed to deal "decisively" with those behind the violence in a phone call Saturday with the family of a Basij militiaman killed in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
His comment came after Amnesty International warned of "the risk of further bloodshed amid a deliberately imposed internet blackout".
The London-based human rights group said evidence it gathered from 20 cities pointed to "a harrowing pattern of Iranian security forces deliberately and unlawfully firing live ammunition at protesters".
Amini died on September 16 following her arrest by Iran's morality police, a unit responsible for enforcing the Islamic republic's strict dress code for women.
Activists said she suffered a blow to the head in custody but this has not been confirmed by the Iranian authorities, who have opened an investigation.
The main reformist group inside Iran, the Union of Islamic Iran People's Party, called for the repeal of the mandatory dress code and the winding down of the morality police.
The party, which is led by former aides of reformist ex-president Mohammad Khatami who oversaw a thaw with the West between 1997 and 2005, also called on the government to "authorise peaceful demonstrations" and release those detained in recent days.
'No beating'
Thousands took part in government-backed counter-rallies in defence of the dress code on Friday.
Iran's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi insisted Amini had not been beaten. He said Iran was still investigating the cause of her death, adding: "We must wait for the final opinion of the medical examiner, which takes time".
Amnesty dismissed the Iranian probe and called on the world to take "meaningful action" against the bloody crackdown.
"UN member states must go beyond toothless statements, hear the cries for justice from victims and human rights defenders in Iran and urgently set up an independent UN investigative mechanism," said Heba Morayef, its director for the Middle East and North Africa.
Iran has imposed tough restrictions on the use of the internet in a bid to hamper protesters gathering and stop the flow of images of the backlash from reaching the outside world.
The United States announced Friday it was easing export restrictions on Iran to help expand internet services for its people.
(AFP)
Ambulance paramedic killed amid unrest in Iran
Tehran, IRNA – A paramedic named Mohammad Fallah was killed in the northern province of Mazandaran in Iran with a hunting gun while on a relief mission amid the unrest.
In the protests over the death of a 22-year-old woman named Mahsa Amini due to heart failure after her arrest by the police in Iran, organized violations have been witnessed, some of which have targeted relief equipment.
Mohammad Fallah, the paramedic, was shot dead with a hunting rifle.
“My son was a paramedic and he was shot while on a relief mission,” his father said, asking if his son deserved to be shot with a hunting rifle.
He linked the movements with “those who don’t want to see Iran independent.”
He also said that the attackers were trained and organized because one of them shot at the paramedic and four others escorted him out of the scene.
The killed paramedic’s father said that the United States didn’t want peace and security for the Iranian people, calling on the youth to be cautious against the Western media.
Iranian authorities have said that 61 ambulances and 25 firefighting trucks were damaged during the recent protests and 4 firefighters were injured.
Reports of Iranian state using ambulances to transport security forces and arrest protestors
News,
After the killing of Mahsa Amini by the Iranian ‘morality police’, over 80 cities have been in revolt and the state has killed at least 54 people.
There is video evidence of ambulances being used by the Iranian government to transport security forces:
This video shows protestors pulling a security agent out of an ambulance:
This ambulance enters a police station:
The protestors are decommissioning them, we need to be vigilant against state propaganda in these times when people are rising up:
Iran summons British envoy over media coverage of protests
Protests over death of Iranian woman in police custody left 41 people dead
Syed Zafar Mehdi |25.09.2022
TEHRAN, Iran
Iran has summoned the British ambassador in Tehran to protest what it called the role of London-based Persian language media in "instigating riots" in the country.
In a Sunday statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said the envoy was summoned in response to a "hostile environment" created by Persian language media based in London against Iran in the wake of the death of a 22-year-old Iranian woman in police custody.
Mahsa Amini died in mysterious circumstances after being detained and taken to the headquarters of the morality police in Tehran last week.
While authorities maintain that she died of cardiac arrest, her family claims she was beaten in police custody, which has fueled angry protests across Iran in recent days and drawn condemnation from across the world, including the UK.
London-based Persian language media, including Iran International and BBC Persian, have widely reported the incident and the subsequent protests, which Iranian officials believe led to protests turning violent.
At least 41 people have been killed in the protests, which have in recent days taken a violent turn, especially in the capital Tehran.
The Foreign Ministry said a "strong protest" was lodged against the British government for "hosting" the media that has in recent days "incited disturbances and riots", describing it as "interference" in Iran's internal affairs and a breach of the country's sovereignty.
The statement cited the British ambassador as saying that he will "immediately report the matter" to London.
In a related development, the Norwegian ambassador in Tehran was also summoned by the Foreign Ministry to explain the “interventionist stance” of the country’s parliament speaker on Iran’s internal affairs.
The ministry termed the parliament speaker’s comments "unrealistic" and "unconstructive", calling it "interference" in Iran's internal affairs.
Many countries in the West have issued strongly-worded statements in recent days over Amini's death in police custody, demanding impartial investigations.
The United Nations in a statement last week also called for an independent probe into the incident, terming the young woman's death "tragic".
“Mahsa Amini’s tragic death and allegations of torture and ill-treatment must be promptly, impartially and effectively investigated by an independent competent authority,” Nada al-Nashif, the acting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said on Tuesday.
On Saturday, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi called for "decisive action" against unruly protesters while the armed forces and intelligence ministry also issued stern warnings in separate statements.
Iran protests Western stance on mass protests over woman's death
DUBAI (Reuters) -Iran summoned the British and Norwegian ambassadors over what it called interference and hostile media coverage of the nationwide unrest triggered by the death of a woman detained by morality police.
Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian also criticised U.S. support for "rioters" - the label Tehran has used for many who have joined the protests which have swept the country, prompting a security crackdown and curbs on internet and phones.
Demonstrations which erupted more than a week ago at the funeral of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman named Mahsa Amini, who died in detention after being arrested by police enforcing the Islamic Republic's strict restrictions on women's dress, have turned into the biggest protests in years.
Clashes continued between security forces and protesters in several northwestern regions, according to sources in the cities of Tabriz, Urmia, Rasht and Hamedan. Activists said there were also protests in districts of the capital, Tehran.
A main teachers union, in a statement posted on social media on Sunday, called for teachers and students to stage the first national strike since the unrest began, on Monday and Wednesday.
It urged teachers, trade unions, military veterans and artists to "stand with pupils, students and people seeking justice in these difficult but hopeful days".
Details of casualties have trickled out slowly, partly because of the restrictions on communication.
The sister of a 20-year-old woman identified as Hadis Najafi told a U.S.-based activist that she died on Wednesday after being shot by security forces. Videos of Najafi had been shared on Twitter, showing her without hijab and protesting in Karaj, 30 km (20 miles) northwest of Tehran.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Iran should "immediately stop the violent crackdown on protests and ensure internet access". He also called for information on the number of people killed and arrested, and an investigation into "the killing of Mahsa Amini".
President Ebrahim Raisi has said Iran ensures freedom of expression and that he has ordered an investigation into Amini's death. He also said that "acts of chaos" were unacceptable and that Iran must deal decisively with the unrest. At the United Nations, he said extensive coverage of Amini's case was "double standards", pointing to deaths in U.S. police custody. ENVOYS SUMMONED
Amirabdollahian said the United States was supporting 'rioters' and seeking to destabilise Iran, a stance he said contradicted American calls for stability in the region and for a nuclear deal with Tehran.
Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned Britain's ambassador in response to the "hostile character" of London-based Persian language media. Britain's foreign ministry said it championed media freedom and condemned Iran's "crackdown on protesters, journalists and internet freedom".
Norway's envoy was also summoned to explain the "interventionist stance" of its parliament speaker Masud Gharahkhani, who has expressed support for the protesters.
Gharahkhani, who was born in Tehran, continued to speak out on Sunday, writing on Twitter: "If my parents had not made the choice to flee in 1987, I would have been one of those fighting in the streets with my life on the line."
Amini's death has reignited anger in Iran over issues including restrictions on personal freedoms, the strict dress codes for women and an economy reeling from sanctions.
Women have played a prominent role in the protests, waving and burning their veils. Some have publicly cut their hair as furious crowds called for the downfall of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The protests are the largest to sweep the country since demonstrations over fuel prices in 2019, when Reuters reported 1,500 people were killed in a crackdown on protesters - the bloodiest bout of internal unrest in the Islamic Republic's history. PROTEST VIDEOS
Iranian Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi called on activists and artists around the world to support the protesters, who he said were "looking for simple and yet fundamental rights that the state has denied them for years".
"I deeply respect their struggle for freedom and the right to choose their own destiny despite all the brutality they are subjected to," Farhadi said in a post on Instagram.
Iran's state television said 41 people have been killed since the protests broke out following Amini's death on Sept 16. The semi-official Mehr news agency said on Sunday eight members of the Basij, a militia under the umbrella of the Revolutionary Guards, were among the dead.
State media said 12 bank branches were destroyed in the unrest in recent days, and 219 ATMs have been damaged.
The Iranian human rights group Hengaw posted a video on Twitter purportedly showing protests late on Sunday in Sanandaj, the capital of Kurdistan province, with chants of "Death to Khamenei".
Activist Twitter account 1500tasvir posted videos it said showed protests on Sunday in western and eastern districts of Tehran. In one a protester could be heard saying: "They (security forces) won't get the better of us. People, I beg you to join us". Reuters could not verify the footage.
Iranian television showed thousands of people rallying in Tehran on Sunday in support of authorities and chanting slogans against the United States and opposition groups they accused of insulting the Koran.
"Sedition is the cause of riots and is directed by America," they chanted.
(Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Additional reporting by Alistair Smout in London and Terje Solsvik; Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Susan Fenton, Will Dunham, Peter Graff)
Firebomb hurled at Iran’s embassy in Athens after protest against deadly crackdown
Greek police say no damage caused by Molotov cocktail, which exploded on the Iranian diplomatic mission’s wall
Today, Illustrative: A protester holds a placard depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a demonstration in Athens by Iranians living in Greece, September 24, 2022, following the death of an Iranian woman after her arrest by the country's morality police in Tehran. (Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP)
ATHENS, Greece — A Molotov cocktail bomb was thrown against the Iranian embassy in Athens on Sunday, Athens News Agency reported.
According to Greek police, at around 1:00 a.m. local time, two people riding a motorcycle with their faces covered hurled the weapon on the wall of the embassy where it exploded.
No damage was caused.
On Saturday afternoon, around 200 people gathered at Syntagma Square in downtown Athens to denounce Iran’s crackdown on protests following the death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the country’s notorious morality police.
Iranian women cut their hair in a gesture of solidarity with Amini, brandishing placards reading “say her name!”
Mahsa Amini: Hundreds rally in Paris, European cities to denounce Iranian regime
People protest outside the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm, Sweden, on September 24, 2022, following the death of an Iranian woman after her arrest by the country's morality police in Tehran. (AFP)
AFP, Paris Published: 25 September ,2022:
Hundreds of expatriate Iranians rallied in Paris and other European cities on Saturday to denounce Iran’s crackdown on protests following the death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by morality police.
The protesters gathered in the central Place du Chatelet in the French capital and chanted slogans against supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and also urged French President Emmanuel Macron to halt negotiations with Iran.
“Khamenei get out of Iran!,” “Macron enough silence!” and “Death to the Islamic republic” were among the slogans shouted by the demonstrators in French and Persian, an AFP reporter said.
The protesters also sung in Persian the Italian protest song “Bella Ciao (Goodbye Beautiful)” which has become popular with supporters of the movement.
They also repeated the viral Persian chants used by protesters inside Iran such as “zan, zendegi, azadi!” (woman, life, freedom!) and also its Kurdish equivalent “jin, jiyan, azadi!” as Amini, also known as Jhina Amini, was Kurdish.
In other protests, Iranian women in Athens cut their hair in a gesture of solidarity with Amini, brandishing placards reading “say her name!” An Iranian refugee woman living in Greece cuts her hair during a demonstration by Iranians living in Greece in central Athens on September 24, 2022, following the death of an Iranian woman after her arrest by the country's morality police in Tehran. (AFP)
Demonstrators on Sergels torg in the center of the Swedish capital Stockholm also cut their hair while another group outside the Swedish parliament held up pictures of those killed.
Iran says that 35 people have died in the protests that erupted after the death of Amini but activists say that the number is now over 50 and likely even higher.
Demonstrators in Paris expressed fury that Macron had met and shaken hands with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this week as Paris seeks to keep the 2015 deal on Tehran's nuclear program alive.
“How can you shake the hands of someone who has committed a crime against humanity?” read a placard brandished by the protesters referring to Raisi’s alleged involvement in the 1988 mass executions of political prisoners in Iran.
“The anger has caught fire and the flames will be impossible to extinguish,” said Mahtab Ghorbani, an exiled poet and writer who lives in France.
“Those who do not speak up will be held responsible and we demand that France stops the negotiations (on the nuclear issue) and closes the Iranian embassy in Paris,” she said.
The protesters are planning to hold a second demonstration on Sunday where they intend to march on the Iranian embassy in Paris.
Over 700 arrested in Iran since protests began over Mahsa Amini’s death
Thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets in protest since the death last week of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was apprehended in Tehran and taken to a “re-education center”, apparently for not wearing her hijab properly.
Demonstrators dress as Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran on September 24, 2022 near the White House in Washington, DC. Amini die after she was arrested in Tehran by the Iranian “morality police” for violating a law that mandates women to wear a hijab properly. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Over 700 people have been arrested in one province of Iran since the protest erupted after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after her arrest for allegedly failing to comply with Iran’s strict rules on women’s dress by wearing an “improper hijab”.
According to Tasnim News Agency, Iranian police in just one province have arrested over 700 people since protests began over a week ago. The Police chief of Guilan province, General Azizollah Maleki announced “the arrest of 739 rioters including 60 women,” the Iranian media outlet said. While Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called “to deal decisively” with the disruptors of the security and peace of the country,” a statement released by his office said.
In a phone call with the family of a Basij militiaman allegedly killed by demonstrators in Iran’s second-largest city Mashhad, Raisi stressed “the need to distinguish between protest and disruption of public order and security,” while denouncing the current unrest as “rioting and evil.”
Thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets in protest since the death last week of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was apprehended in Tehran and taken to a “re-education center”, apparently for not wearing her hijab properly.
Since Friday, demonstrations have taken place in at least 40 cities nationwide, including the capital Tehran, with protesters demanding an end to violence and discrimination against women as well as an end to compulsory wearing of the hijab.
Dozens of protesters have reportedly been killed in the resulting clashes with security forces. Earlier on Saturday, the official death toll in the clampdown by Iranian security forces was reported to have more than doubled from 17 to 35.
By: Melvin Samuel
Iran Oscar-winning director urges 'solidarity' with protesters
Issued on: 25/09/2022 - Iranian film director Asghar Farhadi at the Cannes Film Festival in France, on May 28, 2022 Valery HACHE AFP/File Paris (AFP) – Iran's two-time Oscar winning director Asghar Farhadi on Sunday urged people worldwide to "stand in solidarity" with protesters following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police. A wave of unrest has rocked Iran since the death of 22-year-old Amini, and Farhadi praised the "progressive and courageous women leading protests for their human rights alongside men". "They are looking for simple yet fundamental rights that the state has denied them for years," Farhadi said, in a video message on Instagram. "This society, especially these women, has travelled a harsh and painful path to this point, and now they have clearly reached a landmark." At least 41 people have been killed, including members of the security forces, according to an official toll, although human rights groups say the real figure is far higher. "I saw them closely these nights: most of them are very young, 17 years old, 20 years old," Farhadi added. "I saw outrage and hope in their faces, and in the way they marched in the streets. I deeply respect their struggle for freedom and the right to choose their own destiny, despite all the brutality they are subjected to." Farhadi, known for films that tackle everyday challenges in people's lives, won Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film for "A Separation" in 2011 and "The Salesman" in 2016. "I invite all artists, filmmakers, intellectuals, civil rights activists from all over the world ... everyone who believes in human dignity and freedom, to stand in solidarity with the powerful and brave women and men of Iran by making videos, in writing or any other way," he said.
The death of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly not wearing her hijab correctly, has brought Iran's "morality police" under scrutiny. Who are they and what is their mission?
For decades, Iran's government has promoted what it considers the "Islamic dress code."
The so-called morality police arrested 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in Tehran for wearing what they deemed inappropriate clothing and took her to a police station, where she slipped into a coma. Three days later, she died in a hospital. Her death sparked widespread anger and led to anti-government rallies that continue to embroil dozens of cities, according to videos posted on social media.
So, what exactly is the "morality police" force and how does it operate?
Protests erupted in Tehran and other cities soon after Mahsa's death, leading to another anti-government riot.
What does the 'morality police' do?
"Gasht-e-Ershad," which translates as "guidance patrols" and is widely known as the "morality police," is a unit of Iran’s police forces tasked with enforcing the laws on Islamic dress code in public.
According to the regulation, all women above the age of puberty must wear a head covering and loose clothing in public, although the exact age is not clearly defined. In school, girls typically have to wear the hijab from the age of 7, but that does not mean they need to necessarily wear it in other public places.
A major part of Iran’s social regulations is based on the state's interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, which requires both men and women to dress modestly. However, in practice, the "morality police" primarily target women.
There are no clear guidelines or details on what types of clothing qualify as inappropriate, leaving a lot of room for personal interpretation and sparking accusations that the "morality" enforcers arbitrarily detain women.
When arrested, Mahsa Amini was wearing what is widely considered conventional by Iran's standards: A long, plain black dress with a black and white headscarf
Those detained by the "morality police" are given a notice or, in some cases, are taken to a so-called education and advice center or a police station, where they are required to attend a mandatory lecture on hijab and Islamic values. They then have to call someone to bring them "appropriate clothes" to get released.
Morality police also enforce dress code
In addition to cracking down on hijab violations, the government promotes its version of Islamic dress code in schools, national media and public events.
However, many Iranian women have found ways to defy the ultraconservative dress codes. Many have pushed the boundaries by wearing tight-fitting garments and using the headscarf as a colorful accessory, exposing a lot of hair. Again, there are no hard-and-fast rules on how much hair can be exposed.
A 2018 survey published by Iran's parliament showed that between 60 to 70% of Iranian women do not follow " the Islamic dress code" strictly in public.
Under Raisi’s ultra-conservative administration, the "morality police" has increased its presence in big cities. In response, thousands of women began to go out in the streets without a headscarf and some shared videos of themselves online to encourage others.
After a video of a woman pleading to the "morality police" officer for her sick daughter's release went viral in July, the calls grew for the dissolution of the force.
In an unprecedented move, hundreds of religious women began to speak up against compulsory hijab online. Even some conservative figures, including members of parliament, began criticizing the law and the police force, saying that it has had a negative impact on public attitudes toward the hijab and religion in general.
Why won't the government ditch the morality police?
Nonetheless, some observers say that Raisi has no choice but to keep the "morality police" to please the hard-liners whose support he needs.
"The system (government) will lose a big part of its supporters forever, without gaining the support of those who are protesting," wrote independent journalist Fereshte Sadeghi in a tweet. "the protesters want a lot more than ditching compulsory hijab and they will keep protesting," she says, hinting at the myriad crises facing the country, with the recent violence and demonstrations over strict dress codes being just one of many.
Edited by: Nicole Goebel
Kurdish Protesters Rally in Erbil over Amini's Death in Iran
Saturday, 24 September, 2022 -
People take part in a protest following the death of Mahsa Amini in front of the United Nations
headquarters in Erbil, Iraq September 24, 2022.
REUTERS/Azad Lashkari
Asharq Al-Awsat
Dozens of Iraqi and Iranian Kurds rallied in Iraq's northern city of Erbil on Saturday over the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died in the custody of Iranian police.
Protestors carrying placards with Amini's photograph gathered outside the United Nations compound in Erbil chanting "Death to the dictator" - a reference to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
"Women, Life, Freedom" chanted others, many of whom were Iranian Kurds living in self-imposed exile in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq.
Protests broke out in northwestern Iran a week ago at the funeral of Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died after falling into a coma following her detention by morality police enforcing hijab rules on women's dress.
