Paris Police Ban Iranian Opposition Rally Ahead of Planned Protest

The sudden cancellation arrived shortly after a high-level discussion between French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araqchi. While the NCRI suggests the ban stems from this diplomatic exchange, the French Foreign Ministry issued a formal denial, asserting that the Iranian government never requested the protest's cancellation. Police officials in Paris have not provided a specific justification for the order, despite the group’s claim that they had spent two months coordinating the event and adhering to all established legal protocols.

This is not the first time the NCRI—the political wing of the People’s Mujahideen Organisation of Iran—has faced administrative roadblocks in the French capital. In 2023, a court overturned a similar police ban that had cited security concerns, a ruling that followed the release of an Iranian diplomat previously convicted of plotting a 2018 bombing against the group. The NCRI has now initiated a legal appeal against the current decision. While the group’s internal support remains a subject of debate, it remains one of the few opposition movements capable of mobilizing significant crowds in exile, frequently drawing former international officials to its events.