Iran slams Macron for ‘meddlesome' remarks

 The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran condemned French President Emmanuel Macron for his remarks in which he expressed solidarity with protesters angry over the death of an Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini.

Earlier, Macron said that France “stands by” the protesters in Iran and expressed his “admiration” for women and youths demonstrating in the country. He also condemned Iranian authorities for repressing the protesters. 

The protests erupted in several cities in Iran after the death of 22-year-old Amini. Many women burned their Hijabs and chopped off their hair on the street, demanding justice for her. Anti-government and anti-hijab protests first began on September 17 at the funeral of Amini in Saqqez, the capital of Saqqez County, Kurdistan Province, Iran. Later on, it spread across various cities, with protesters calling for the downfall of Iran’s clerical leaders, including the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 

People took to the streets because Amini’s family said that she died after a "violent blow to the head.” They also said that morality police beat her at the detention centre. She was arrested by Iranian morality police in Tehran, the capital of Iran, on September 13 for allegedly wearing a loose Hijab. 

In a statement, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said that the French leader’s remarks were “meddlesome” and accused him of hypocrisy. 

He said it was “surprising” that France was condemning Iran’s security forces for dealing with “violent rioters” while it was threatening to use force in response to “labour strikes in the oil and gas sector” in France. He said, “This is clear hypocrisy.”

Motorists across France have faced long queues to fill tanks at stations that often run dry in a day because six of France's seven refineries have been shut down. Recently, French railway workers and civil servants voted to join the striking oil refinery staff with a walkout next week and labour groups called for a national day of stoppages.