Iran warns citizens over French protests

TEHRAN: Iran on Monday warned its citizens to avoid protest-hit areas in France, while its judiciary chief said the international response to the “yellow vest” unrest was proof of Western hypocrisy.

The foreign ministry warned Iranians living and travelling in France to “take precautions and seriously refrain from going to centres of protest and violence”.

“If these protests had happened anywhere but a Western country, you would have already seen the UN and many foreign ministries get involved,” added judiciary chief Sadegh Amoli Larijani, according to the conservative Fars news agency.

He contrasted the international response with the reaction to protests that hit dozens of Iranian cities a year ago, sparked by a range of political and economic issues.

“In the protests in Iran last year, the officials of European countries, including France, made such a din and uproar, and repeatedly ‘expressed concern’,” Larijani said.

“Now look how French police treat people.” — AFP