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Paris Police Arrest 20 at Banned Iran Opposition Rally
Hundreds gathered in central Paris on Saturday despite a court-upheld ban on an NCRI demonstration against executions in Iran. Police dispersed the crowd and made 20 arrests, according to organizers.
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Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Place Vauban near the Les Invalides monument in central Paris on Saturday in defiance of a court-upheld ban on an Iran opposition rally. Paris police arrested 20 people during the dispersal, according to organizers of the event.
Background on the Ban French police had banned the Paris-based National Council of the Resistance of Iran from holding the rally, citing a risk of clashes between activists holding opposing views. The NCRI described the stated reason as "bogus" and appealed the prohibition, but a Paris court upheld the ban on Saturday.
The prohibition was issued Thursday evening, hours after a call between France's foreign minister and his Iranian counterpart. France's foreign ministry rejected an allegation by the NCRI that the ban was connected to that call.
The NCRI, described as the political arm of the People's Mujahideen Organisation of Iran, has held frequent rallies in the French capital over the years. Those events have drawn thousands of participants, including high-profile former U.S., European and Arab officials critical of the Islamic Republic.
