(MENAFN) Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has called on the French government to observe human rights and avoid violence against citizens who are peacefully protesting proposed pension reforms. In a tweet published on Friday, Amir Abdollahian urged the French government to respect human rights and avoid resorting to force against the people of its own country who are pursuing their demands peacefully.
More than a million people took to the streets across France on Thursday to voice their protests at pension reforms. However, police fired tear gas at crowds in northwestern Lorient, while video from Rennes shows authorities using water cannons to disperse protesters.
In a series of posts published on his Twitter account on Friday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani also asked French officials to respond to the demands of protesters who have marched across the country against Macron’s pension reform, rather than to stoke unrest in other countries.
“The government of France must talk to its people and listen to their voices. You cannot use such violence” while preaching other countries how to deal with riots, Kanaani tweeted.
Kanaani was openly referring to the Paris position toward the 2022 autumn riots in Iran in which French officials fanned the flames of unrest in Iran. The French president personally met with notorious figures who have been pushing for regime change in Iran.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman also rebuked the silence of female foreign ministers in Canada, Europe, and Australia toward the violence against French women while they held forums and issued statements in support of the Iranian women in the autumn protests.
“French protesters are also waiting to see the collective response of European, Australian and Canadian female ministers in support of the protesting French women,” Kanaani told them sarcastically.
Despite protests, Macron’s government has not backed down on the plan to raise the retirement age for most workers by two years, a move opposed by huge numbers of people. It rammed the legislation through the French National Assembly on March 20 using a constitutional clause that allows the government to bypass a vote.
On Thursday, the protests were coordinated across the country for the first time since Macron’s government pushed the bill through parliament. The French government’s response to the protests has been met with criticism, with at least 80 people arrested and 123 police officers injured during the nationwide protests.
As the protests continue, Iranian officials have called on the French government to respect human rights and respond to the demands of its citizens peacefully. The situation highlights the importance of maintaining open communication and peaceful dialogue between governments and their citizens, and the need to respect the rights and safety of all individuals involved in protests and demonstrations.
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