Protesters clash with police outside Iranian embassies in London and Paris: Crowds confront riot cops and pelt officers with bottles as demos over death of woman, 22, who died after being arrested for breaking hijab laws in Iran turn violent
- Protesters have clashed with police outside the Iranian embassy in London following the death of a woman
- A man was tackled to ground as the crowd waving flags and placards confronted officers in a protest
- It follows the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, in police custody in Iran after she was arrested for breaking hijab laws
Protesters have clashed with police outside the Iranian embassy in London, with a further police clash in Paris, following the death of an Iranian woman in police custody after she was arrested for breaking hijab laws.
Video footage from outside the British capital’s embassy shows a large group of people gathered, with police officers forming a line to stop the group from moving closer to the building.
People could be seen standing on walls, holding flags and placards in the street. And two police officers held a man down as others tried to hold the crowd of people back.
Five people were arrested during the demonstration, with police officers injured by the ‘substantial group intent on causing disorder’, the Met said.
It follows protests around the world following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. The 22-year-old was detained in Tehran by Iranian morality police who believed she was wearing her hijab too loosley.
Today further protests broke out in Paris, with riot police confronting protesting crowds in the city who were demonstrating solidarity with Amini.
Video footage from outside the embassy shows a large group of people gathered, with police officers forming a line to stop the group
Mahsa Amini, 22, died in police custody after being detained by Iranian morality police over hijab laws
Protester Hadis Najafi, 20, died after being shot six times by security forces in Iran
Police officers held down a man during the protest (left) outside the Iranian embassy in London as the crowd pushed against officers (right)
In London, five people were arrested following the demonstration, the Met Police confirmed.
In a statement, the force said: ‘During the afternoon of Sunday, 25 September a large number of protesters gathered at the location, 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.
‘Five arrests have been made for offences including violent disorder.
‘We are aware of a number of police officers who received injuries while dealing with the disorder; none of those are thought to be seriously hurt.
‘A significant policing presence will remain in and around the area to monitor the situation.’
And a female protester in Iran died after being shot six times by security forces in the country.
Hadis Najafi, 20, was killed after protesting in Iran, where violent unrest was has spread to at least 46 cities, towns and villages in Iran, the Sun reported.
She is understood to have been shot in the chest, face and neck, according to reports on social media.
Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad tweeted about Najafi, sharing a video of her tying up her hair.
‘This 20 Yr old girl who was getting ready to join the protest against the murdering of #MahsaAmini got killed by 6 bullets,’ Alinejad wrote on Twitter.
‘HadisNajafi, 20, was shot in the chest, face and neck by Islamic Republic’s security forces.’
The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Sunday that Iran’s crackdown on protests is ‘unjustifiable’ and ‘unacceptable’, as Tehran vowed no leniency against the unrest gripping the country.
In a statement on behalf of the EU, Borrell said: ‘For the European Union and its member states, the widespread and disproportionate use of force against nonviolent protestors is unjustifiable and unacceptable’.
Iran’s foreign ministry said it had summoned Britain’s ambassador over what it described as a hostile atmosphere created by London-based Farsi language media outlets.
The state-run IRNA news agency reported the ministry also summoned Norway’s ambassador to Iran due to remarks made by the president of the Norwegian parliament, Masud Gharahkhani.
State television has suggested that at least 41 protesters and police have been killed since the protests began on September 17. It is thought that more than 1,200 demonstrators have been arrested as well.
Hadis Najafi, 20, died after being shot six times by security forces in Iran, social media reports have claimed
It is understood that Najafi was shot in the chest, face and neck and died from the wounds
Ghazale Chelavi (left), Hanane Kia (centre) and Mahsa Mogoi (right) were killed in Iran after protesting the death of Amini in police custody
The foreign ministry’s website said it summoned Simon Shercliff, the ambassador to Iran, on Saturday over the UK’s 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 programmes.
Iran said it considers the news agencies’ reporting to be interference in Iran’s internal affairs and acts against its sovereignty.
Running clashes between demonstrators and security forces have continued to erupt.
A member of the Basij, a volunteer force with Iran’s Guards, was killed by protesters last night in Tehran, semi-official Fars news agency reported on Sunday.
Another Basij member, who was in a coma since Thursday after street clashes, died in Urmia, West Azerbaijan province on Sunday, IRNA reported.
The crisis in Iran began as a public outpouring of anger over the the death of Amini, who was arrested by the morality police in Tehran for allegedly wearing her Islamic headscarf too loosely.
The police said she died of a heart attack and was not mistreated, but her family has cast doubt on that account.
Protesters in Paris, France, have been showing their solidarity for the 22-year-old Iranian woman who died in police custody
A woman is among the crowd facing riot police as they take part in a demonstration in support of Iranian protesters in Paris
Ms Amini’s death has sparked sharp condemnation from Western countries and the United Nations.
Pro-government rallies were also held on Sunday in several cities across Iran. Thousands attended a rally in the capital’s Enghelab, or Revolution Square, waving Iranian flags.
The country’s judiciary chief vowed no leniency on Sunday against the wave of unrest that has rocked the country since the death of Amini.
The warning from Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei came after nine nights of protests and street clashes, and it echoed earlier comments by Iran’s ultra-conservative President Ebrahim Raisi.
The judiciary chief ’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 that have spread to scores of cities since unrest first broke out after Amini’s death.
Security forces have fired live rounds and bird shots, rights groups charge, while protesters have hurled rocks, torched police cars, set ablaze state buildings, and shouted ‘death to the dictator’.
Iran’s largest protests in almost three years have been led by women, triggered by anger over the Islamic republic’s strictly enforced gender-based dress code.
Amini, whose Kurdish first name was Jhina, was arrested on September 13 for allegedly breaching the rules that mandate tightly-fitted hijab head coverings and which ban, among other things, ripped jeans and brightly coloured clothes.
Some Iranian women protesters have since removed and 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’.
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