About 12,000 people marched to the EU Parliament in the eastern French city of Strasbourg in support of Iran’s anti-government protesters while the Eiffel Tower lit the night with the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom”, which embodies the protest movement spilling beyond Iran.
Highlighting the demands of protesters, the Eiffel Tower display also displayed the message, “Stop executions in Iran”.
The messages paid tribute to Mahsa Amini, whose death in September triggered demonstrations in Iran, along with arrests and executions.
Paris posthumously declared Ms Amini an honorary citizen in October, and Paris City Hall has said that the Eiffel Tower displays were a homage to her and to “those who are bravely fighting for their freedom as the [Iranian] regime is continuing executions of protesters”.
The Strasbourg march, which was held on Monday, was organised by Iranians in Europe on the 44th anniversary of the day when Iran’s last Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, ailing and under growing pressure, left the country for good.
The following month, the monarchy collapsed under the fervour of the Islamic revolution that gave Iran its theocracy. Some of the demonstrators on Monday carried photos of the shah.
Mahsa Amini protests in Iran and around the world — in pictures
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Demonstrators chant slogans during the March of Solidarity for Iran in Washington. AFP -
Another group of demonstrators at the march. AFP -
A protest in support of Iranian women in Barcelona. Reuters -
Iranian citizens and locals joined in the Barcelona protest. Reuters -
People attend a demonstration in solidarity with Mahsa Amini and other Iranian women in Castello Square, Turin. EPA -
A person places a candle during the demonstration in Turin. EPA -
A protester holds a pre-Islamic Revolution Iranian flag during a demonstration in Brussels in support of the Iranians fighting for their freedom. AFP -
A protester wearing a top with a logo that reads 'No to an Islamic state" as she takes part in a rally in support of the Iranian people, in Brussels. AFP -
People wave the Shah-era Iranian flag during a protest in Paris. AFP -
A woman shows her true colours in the protest against the Iranian government, in Paris. AFP -
A woman holds a flag, as people protest against the Iranian regime outside Iran's embassy in central London. Reuters -
Supporters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) carry placards and wave party flags in Beirut, during a protest against the death of Ms Amini. EPA -
People demonstrate against the Iranian government outside the Houses of Parliament in London following the death of Amini. Reuters -
A mural in Paris depicts women cutting their hair to show support for Iranian protesters. AP -
People take part in a rally against the Iranian government in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday. AP -
Protesters take to the streets of Tehran. EPA -
Iranian protesters run after clashing with with police. EPA -
A protester shaves their head outside the Houses of Parliament in London. Reuters -
Iranians living in Athens hold a protest in solidarity. AFP -
People take part in a rally in The Hague. AFP -
A woman cuts her hair during a demonstration in Santiago, Chile, by feminist groups and Iranian migrants in support of Iranian women following the death of Amini. AFP -
Members of feminist groups and Iranian migrants during the protests in Santiago. AFP -
Iranian activists shout slogans during a protest against the government in Tehran, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. EPA -
A protester holds a painted portrait of Mahsa Amini in Berlin, Germany. EPA -
A protester shows red paint on her face, resembling blood splatters and bloody handprints next to the national Iranian emblem, during a rally in Berlin. EPA -
Iranian protesters shout slogan during a protest in Istanbul, Turkey. EPA -
A woman holds a sign during a protest against the Iranian government, in front of the country's embassy in Madrid, Spain. The protests were triggered by the death of a young Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody. Reuters -
A woman cuts her hair during the protest in front of the Iranian embassy in Madrid. Reuters -
Israelis show their support for women in Iran as they hold up placards of Amini during a protest in Jerusalem. EPA -
Amini, 22, was arrested in Tehran on September 13, 2022, by the morality police. She fell into a coma while in police custody and was declared dead on September 16. EPA -
People walk by graffiti in support of the protests triggered by Amini's death, in Jerusalem. EPA -
A protest in Nantes, western France, after the death of Amini in Iranian police custody. AFP -
Women gather for a demonstration in Barcelona, Spain. AFP -
Demonstrators in Nantes. Amini's death has sparked a global protest movement. AFP -
Women protest outside the town hall in in Montpellier, southern France. AFP -
A woman at a protest in Catalunya Square, Barcelona. Reuters -
Campaigners and football fans protest at a Champions League match between Porto and Bayer Leverkusen at the Dragao stadium in Portugal. EPA -
People hold placards during a demonstration in solidarity with the Iranian people near the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. EPA -
An Iranian woman living in Turkey with 'Freedom' written on her forehead takes part in a protest near the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. Reuters -
In Barcelona, protesters take part in a demonstration in support of Iranian women. AFP -
A Lebanese activist takes part in a protest in Beirut, triggered by the death of Amini, 22. AP -
A Turkish protester takes off her head scarf while giving a performance in Instanbul during a protest against Iran over Amini's death. Getty -
A woman in Istanbul cuts her hair during a protest against Iran. Getty -
A Lebanese activist holds a poster depicting Amini during a protest in Beirut organised by feminist groups in support of women protesters in Iran. EPA -
Demonstrators in Los Angeles, California, hold the Iranian flag during a protest against the government in Tehran. AFP -
Demonstrators hold placards in Mexico City during a protest against Iran. Reuters -
People demonstrate in Montreal, Canada, during a protest triggered by Amini's death. AFP -
Iranian Americans participate in a rally in central Los Angeles, in solidarity with women in Iran. AP -
Demonstrators march during a protest in Los Angeles, California. AFP -
A woman with the colours of the Iranian flag painted on her face participates in a rally as thousands demonstrate in support of Iranian women in Los Angeles. EPA -
Australians protest over Amini's death in Melbourne. EPA -
Police block protesters from entering Iran's embassy in Oslo, Norway. EPA -
Demonstrators in front of the European headquarters of the UN in Geneva, Switzerland, during a rally against Iran. EPA -
A candlelight vigil for Amini in Los Angeles. AFP -
Afghan women hold placards as they take part in a protest in front of the Iranian embassy in Kabul. AFP -
Protestors take part in a rally outside the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. AFP -
An Iranian woman shows a lock of hair she cut off during a protest outside the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. EPA -
Demonstrators outside the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. Getty -
Iranian Americans rally on Capitol Hill in Washington to show support for protesters in Iran. AFP -
Protesters on Capitol Hill hold a sign condemning the crackdown by Tehran. AFP -
German demonstrators gather in Berlin after the death of Amini in Iranian police custody. AP -
A protester cries during a rally in Berlin. Reuters -
A demonstration in Madrid, Spain. Thousands have gathered in cities across Europe to support protests in Iran. AP -
Demonstrators gather outside the Iranian embassy in Madrid. Reuters -
People take part in a protest in Lausanne, Switzerland. EPA -
Protesters hold signs featuring images of Amini during the protest in the western Swiss city. EPA -
Demonstrators in front of the Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. EPA -
An activist outside the Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a sign that reads 'Justice for Mahsa Amini'. AFP -
A demonstration against violence in Iran is held in Quito, Ecuador. The Iranian community in Ecuador protested outside the Iranian embassy. EPA -
Protesters at a demonstration outside the Iranian embassy in Quito, Ecuador. EPA
Local media cited police as saying some 12,000 people took part.
“Your silence is violence,” one banner read, reflecting the demand of Iranian protesters abroad to support their message and ensure Tehran hears it.
Protesters want the EU to take a firmer stance against Tehran, declaring the Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organisation.
The European parliament’s plenary session is to debate the EU’s response this week to the protests and executions in Iran.
A non-binding resolution is to be voted on Thursday, which protesters and others see as a chance to put the Revolutionary Guard on the EU’s terrorist list.
Alternative Mahsa Amini protests — in pictures
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Swedish-Iranian director Ali Abbasi shows his support for the protests against Iran as he attends the UK premiere of his film, 'Holy Spider', at the 66th BFI London Film Festival. The protests were sparked by the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody in Iran. Getty -
A mural in Milan, Italy, shows Marge Simpson, a character in the animated sitcom 'The Simpsons', cutting her hair in protest over the death of Amini. EPA -
Actress Juliette Binoche cuts her hair as a part of the protest against Iran. Reuters -
Protester hold up placards in Rome as they denounce the Iranian government after Amini's death. AFP -
Actress Marion Cotillard cuts her hair as a part of the protests. Reuters -
People hold up a placard bearing a picture of Amini during a demonstration in solidarity with the Iranian people, near the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. EPA -
Iranian-born actress Nazanin Boniadi addresses demonstrators at a rally held in support of Iranian women, outside City Hall in Los Angeles, California. Reuters -
An Iranian woman living in Turkey takes part in a protest near the Iranian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Reuters -
A demonstrator holds cut hair during a protest near the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. Reuters -
Protesters hold up placards in Rome during a demonstration in solidarity with Iranian women. AFP
A letter last week, by more than 100 Members of the European Parliament, to Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, called on the bloc to designate the IRGC “in its entirety as a terrorist organisation.”
The IRGC was designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in 2019.
Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said on Monday — after a meeting with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock in The Hague — that they both had summoned Iran’s ambassadors in their respective countries to protest executions of protesters and British-Iranian former defence ministry official Ali Reza Akbari.
Thousands defy Iranian police to mourn Mahsa Amini — in pictures
Mr Hoekstra said the ministers support moves “to go further with EU sanctions against those responsible, all those responsible for these grave human rights violations in Iran”.
Iran has been rocked by protests since the September 16 death of Ms Amini, 22, in the custody of Iran's morality police.
The protests have since become one of the most serious challenges to Iran’s leaders.
