Iranian Students Hold Protests At French Embassy

French President Emmanuel Macron (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - A large number of students gathered in front of the French Embassy in the Iranian capital to protest the attitude and statements of French officials who were deemed insulting Islam. They also carried posters and banners bearing messages against French President Emmanuel Macron.

The peaceful protest lasted several hours, during which the crowd demanded an unconditional apology from President Macron and other French officials. The masses also urged the expulsion of the French ambassador in Tehran and a boycott of French products as a protest of indifference to Muslim religious sentiment.

"They continue to do that and we continue to oppose it. But now is the time to take a stand and teach them good teachings," Reza Alaavi, a student at Tehran university told Anadolu News Agency, Thursday, October 29.

He said all Muslims in the world were united against this and this was a "golden opportunity" to fight both Islamophobia and hatred of Muslims. "

The crowd also changed the name of the street in front of the French Embassy from Jalan Neauphle-le-Chateau to Jalan Muhammad Rasulullah. The street is named after a small village in northern France where Iran's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, spent a year in exile in 1978 after being driven from Iraq.

Alaavi said an official request to change the street name to Jalan Muhammad Rasulullah would soon be submitted to the municipality of Tehran.

An angry attitude has developed in Iran over President Macron's Islamophobic statements, with the public demanding that the government expel French envoys and also boycotting French products.

On Tuesday, France's business attorney in Tehran was summoned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to file a formal protest against the "unacceptable actions" of French authorities.

Many senior Iranian officials including President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, Supreme Court Chief Justice Ebrahim Raisi, Parliament Speaker Baqer Qalibaf, Head of National Security Council Ali Shamkhani and senior adviser Ali Akbar Velayati issued statements criticizing French officials for fueling Islamophobia.