Paris police clash with Iranian opposition during banned protest

Paris police clashed with Iranian opposition supporters attempting to hold an unauthorized demonstration near Les Invalides on Saturday. The gathering, organized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (CNRI), was denied a permit by the Paris Police Prefecture due to security concerns.

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The police forces carried out four arrests, one for carrying a prohibited weapon, two for violence against agents and one for public intoxication.

Despite the lack of authorization, police reported that approximately 2,500 people were present at the peak of the demonstration. A CNRI spokesperson, however, claimed that tens of thousands had gathered, with many traveling from outside Paris. The spokesperson also alleged that police dispersed demonstrators and prevented several hundred individuals, who had flown in from Scandinavian countries, from entering France, forcing them to return.

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tens of thousands of people

Authorities made four arrests during the events. One individual was detained for possessing a prohibited weapon, two others for assaulting police officers, and a fourth for public intoxication. The Paris Administrative Court later upheld the ban on the CNRI's planned march, citing security imperatives.

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the authorization was rejected by the Prefecture of Police.

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied that the decision to refuse the CNRI's permit was a result of pressure from the Iranian regime. A spokesperson stated that the planned march was not discussed during a recent conversation between French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and his Iranian counterpart, Abas Aragchi, which focused on the Middle East situation.

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justified for security reasons the non-authorization of the CNRI demonstration