Paris police arrest 20 as demonstrators defy ban on Iran opposition rally

PARIS, June 20 (Reuters) – Protestors against political executions in Iran gathered in Paris on Saturday in defiance of a ban on the rally, at which police arrested 20 people, according to organisers.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Place Vauban near the Les Invalides monument in central Paris, but were dispersed by police, Shahin Gobadi from the Paris-based NCRI said.

Paris police could not immediately be reached for comment.

French police banned the NCRI Iranian opposition from holding the rally on Saturday, saying there was a risk of clashes between activists holding opposing views, an argument the group described as “bogus”.

Organisers appealed the ban, but on Saturday it was upheld by a Paris court.

The ban on Thursday evening came hours after a call between France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi, during which they discussed the latest developments to end the Iran war.

France’s foreign ministry rejected an allegation by the Iranian group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, that the ban was linked to the call.

The Paris-based NCRI, the political arm of the People’s Mujahideen Organisation of Iran, has held frequent rallies in the French capital over the years.

They have been attended by thousands of people, including high-profile former U.S., European and Arab officials critical of the Islamic Republic.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, Lewis Macdonald and Sarah Meyssonnier; Editing by Jan Harvey)