Iranians residing in France, supporters of the Iranian Resistance,
and human rights organizations took part in a rally against the visit to Paris
by Javad Zarif, the mullahs' foreign minister.
Hundreds of Iranians took part in the protest, which started in
the early hours of Friday at Place du Trocadero in Paris.
Demonstrators carried a large banner that read "Expel
Zarif." They chanted: "Zarif is a terrorist, expel him.”
One of the placards carried by the demonstrators had the writing:
"End making concessions to the mullahs.” Another placard read: “Shut down
the Iranian regime’s espionage centers in Europe.”
The Paris District 1 municipality installed a large banner on the
city hall opposing Zarif’s visit. The banner read: "Iran's Mullahs and its
Foreign Minister violate our principles. We do not welcome them.”
France is Zarif's last stop on a European tour that began last
weekend. His visits to Finland, Sweden, and Norway have been met with loud
protests by Iranians residing in each of these countries. The protests
highlighted widespread human rights abuses in Iran and the role of the mullahs'
regime in terrorism and crisis-making in the region. In response to objections
to the trip, the Swedish Foreign Minister stated that her government had not invited
Zarif and he had come to Sweden at his own request.