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Paris, June 19, 2025 (OLA NEWS) – A pro-Iran’s freedom demonstration took place on Thursday, at Paris’s Place du Panthéon, gathering several dozen protesters amid escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. The rally, organized by various French-Iranian collectives and human rights associations such as LDH (Ligue des droits de l’Homme) and Iran Justice, called for an immediate ceasefire and the protection of civilians in both countries.
Participants, many from the Franco-Iranian community, held signs reading “No to war” in multiple languages and chanted slogans like “No to the mullahs, no to Netanyahu,” denouncing both the Iranian regime and Israeli military actions. The demonstration was notably attended by prominent figures including Ayda Hadizadeh, a key voice in the Iranian diaspora, and Karim Lahidji, former president of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and a long-standing advocate for civil liberties in Iran.
Speakers at the event, including Lahidji, emphasized the universal struggle for human rights and condemned the ongoing violence, highlighting the urgent need for diplomatic solutions and international solidarity.
The LDH, in its official statement, reaffirmed its support for Iranian civil society and called for an end to all bombings, warning of the risk of further chaos and humanitarian catastrophe in the region.
The protest reflected the deep concern within the diaspora for their families and friends in Iran, as well as a rejection of both authoritarian repression and military escalation. As one organizer put it, “It’s the Iranian people who must decide who governs them—not foreign bombs nor the current regime”.
Reporting and pictures by Henri Welschinger, Laura L’helgoualch, OLA NEWS PARIS; editing by Alexandre Minguez.
