80,000 people demonstrate in Berlin against the Iranian government 80,000 people demonstrate in Berlin against the Iranian government

People from large parts of Europe gathered at the Berlin Victory Column on Saturday, reporters from the German Press Agency reported. According to police estimates, about 80,000 people were on the scene in the afternoon. For hours, people flocked to the demonstration from all directions.

Countless Iranians had already arrived from dozens of cities overnight and early in the morning to support the systemic protests in Iran. Dozens of tour buses lined the streets leading to the Victory Column. Protests against the Islamic Republic and its authoritarian stance have not stopped for five weeks. The demonstration in Berlin was peaceful, police described it as “largely unproblematic”. In the beginning, fireworks were set off briefly.

The slogan of the protests “Woman, Life, Freedom” was prominently proclaimed. The protesters repeatedly demanded the fall of the Islamic government system – they shouted “Death Khamenei”. As the supreme religious leader and head of state in Iran, Ali Khamenei has the final say on all important matters. Khamenei recently described the nationwide protests as a conspiracy from abroad.

The demonstration is registered by the «Woman* Life Freedom Collective», which stands up against oppression and discrimination in Iran. Numerous organizations supported the call. From the Grosser Stern in Berlin, the participants marched through the Berlin government district along the Tiergarten.

The massive protests in Iran were triggered by the death of 22-year-old Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini in mid-September. The moral police had arrested her for not complying with the mandatory rules for wearing a headscarf. The woman died in police custody on September 16. Since her death, thousands have demonstrated in Iran against the repressive course and the Islamic regime.

Several members of the Kurdish community also demonstrated on Saturday at the Iranian embassy in Berlin with a wreath-laying ceremony and a minute of silence against the violent crackdown by Iranian security forces in Iran.

The well-known Iranian activist Hamed Esmaeilion had also called for the demonstration. After the death of his wife and daughter, he took part in demonstrations abroad against the Islamic Republic. His family died when a Ukrainian passenger plane was shot down near Tehran in January 2020.

He called on the international community to end negotiations with Iran and expel ambassadors from the country. “We all have dreams, and our dreams will only come true if Iran is freed from the shackles of an Islamic republic,” said the 45-year-old, who was cheered by the protesters. (sda/dpa)