Iran slams French police violence against protesters as non-commitment to democracy
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman has condemned the violence by the French police against anti-government demonstrators in the European country, saying the move bespeaks France’s non-adherence to democratic principles and speech freedom.
Nasser Kana’ani made the comment in a post on his Twitter account on Sunday following widely-bashed excessive force exerted by the French police during the latest round of mass protests over President Emmanuel Macron’s contentious pension reform.
“The action of the French police in resorting to violence against protesting citizens of the country is unacceptable and shows the French government’s lack of commitment to the principles of democracy and freedom of expression,” Kana’ani said in a Persian-language tweet.
“We advise the French government to avoid duplicitous behavior and instrumental use of human rights and stop resorting to violence against protesters,” he added.
اقدام پلیس فرانسه در توسل به خشونت علیه اعتراضات شهروندان این کشور غیرقابل قبول و نشانگر عدم التزام دولت فرانسه به اصول دموکراسی و آزادی بیان است.
— Nasser Kanaani (@IRIMFA_SPOX) March 19, 2023
به دولت فرانسه توصیه می کنیم از رفتار دوگانه و استفاده ابزاری از حقوق بشر اجتناب کرده و از توسل به خشونت علیه معترضان دست بردارد. pic.twitter.com/806r8FRwGk
France has over the past weeks been the scene of protests and unrest after the government pressed ahead with the approval of a controversial draft bill claimed to reform the country's pension policy.
Through his proposed reforms, Macron is pushing to raise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64, saying it is vital if the country is to avoid the collapse of the state pension system.
Raising the retirement age by two years and extending the pay-in period would yield an additional 17.7 billion euros ($19.18 billion) in annual pension contributions, allowing the system to break even by 2027, according to Labor Ministry estimates.
Outrage flared on Thursday afternoon after the Macron administration invoked a controversial constitutional power to impose the pension overhaul by decree, using a special procedure to push its pension reform without a vote in the French parliament.
The move sparked violent protests across the country, with police firing tear gas at some 7,000 protesters on the Place de la Concorde in Paris and arresting 310 people around France, including 258 in the capital.
Opinion polls show that two-thirds of the French people oppose the reform and support a protest movement organized by trade unions, who have unified behind their opposition and have warned they will continue their mobilization.
The opposition warns the reform will penalize low wage-earners and will force people who started manual jobs at lower ages to work longer. Trains, schools, public services, and ports have been affected by strikes over the last six weeks.
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