Iran Issues Travel Warning for France
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran called on Iranian citizens to avoid traveling to France, whose major cities have been gripped with violent unrest for days sparked by the police killing of a teenager.
In a statement on Sunday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani advised Iranian nationals to avoid unnecessary trips to France amid the current critical situation in the European country.
Major cities in France have experienced consecutive nights of rioting following the police killing of a 17-year-old of Algerian and Moroccan descent.
The teenager, known as Nahel Merzouk, was fatally shot by police on June 27 in the western Parisian suburb of Nanterre.
Hundreds of people have been arrested as France is rocked by fiery protests.
In his statement, Kanaani advised the French government and police to exercise self-restraint, avoid violence, and pay attention to the demands of protesters.
He also blamed the inconvenient conditions faced by European citizens, including in France, on the “discriminatory treatment of migrants” and the European governments’ “refusal to admit and rectify its wrong behavior” towards them.
“The government of France is expected to stop coercive treatment of its people by respecting the principles based upon human dignity, freedom of speech, and the citizens’ right to peaceful protests,” the spokesman added.
He also noted that Iran is closely monitoring the developments in France, calling on the Iranian nationals to avoid unnecessary presence in the French cities and clash scenes due to the “insecure and unpredictable situation” in the country.
