Iran Calls on French Police to Avoid Violence Against Anti-Racism Protesters

“I wish the French government would at least exercise restraint on the eve of the new year and avoid violence against the people of the country who demonstrate against racial discrimination, stop it,” Bahadori Jahromi wrote on his Twitter account. 

Head of Government Information Council Sepehr Khalaji has also advised the French government to respect the rights of minorities and ensure their safety.

“Two hundred arrested, six killed and wounded in just 48 hours in Paris!” Khalaji wrote on his Twitter account.

“We advise the French government to refrain from violence against the peaceful protesters,” he added.

“Don’t beat people, don’t shoot them with tear gas, be kind to your people, listen to them, respect the rights of minorities and ensure their safety,” the official noted.

On Friday, a gunman went on a shooting spree in Paris, killing three people and wounding another four. France’s BFM TV channel reported that shots had been fired near a local Kurdish cultural center.

A 69-year-old suspect was detained and confessed to French police that he had a “racist” motive. Identified as “William M.” by French media, the retired train driver was reportedly found with a US-made Army Colt 1911 pistol, along with “two or three loaded magazines” and a box of at least 25 cartridges.

An unnamed police officer has claimed the shooter said “he didn’t like Kurds” while being arrested.

Members of the Kurdish community gathered outside the cultural center, venting their anger over the shooting. French Police used tear gas to disperse them.

According to police and judicial sources, the man is believed to have stabbed at least two people with a sword at a migrant camp in December 2021. In June 2016, he was convicted of armed violence – a ruling which he appealed against. A year later, William M. was given a suspended six-month prison sentence for illegally possessing firearms, judicial sources declared.

The man was released from custody in mid-December, awaiting trial over the sword incident. The Paris prosecutor’s office announced that the individual was prohibited from carrying weapons and from leaving France.