Paris police ban Iranian opposition rally over security concerns

French police have banned a planned Iranian opposition rally in Paris at the last minute, citing a risk of violence and public-order disruption. The demonstration, organised by the National Resistance Council of Iran, was due to take place on Saturday. Authorities said the route would have passed close to public buildings and diplomatic missions.

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The police order said there was a serious risk that clashes could break out between activists with opposing views in what it described as a particularly tense national and international context. The National Resistance Council of Iran said the cancellation came after business hours on Thursday and rejected the explanation as bogus. Organisers have filed an emergency motion seeking to overturn the ban.

The group said the rally was intended to protest a wave of executions in Iran. It said it had expected as many as 100,000 people to attend, underlining the scale of the planned event. The council also suggested the decision may have been linked to a call earlier on Thursday evening between the French and Iranian foreign ministers, although the French foreign ministry said Jean-Noel Barrot did not ask for the demonstration to be cancelled.

The ban comes against a backdrop of heightened tension around Iran, including domestic repression and wider regional conflict. The National Resistance Council of Iran is the political arm of the People's Mujahedin of Iran, also known as MEK, which is outlawed by Tehran as a terrorist organisation. The group has held protests in Paris before, including during recent anti-government unrest in Iran and during the war involving Iran and Israel, without incident.

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The decision also highlights the sensitivity of public demonstrations near diplomatic sites in the French capital. French authorities framed the move as a preventive public-order measure rather than a political judgment on the organisers' message. For the opposition group, however, the ban is likely to be seen as a setback to efforts to draw international attention to executions and repression in Iran.

It remains unclear whether the emergency legal challenge will succeed or whether the rally can be rescheduled in another form. The immediate question is whether the police assessment of risk will be upheld by the courts. What happens next may also affect how French authorities handle future protests linked to Iran and other politically charged diaspora demonstrations in Paris.

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