Around 200 people took part in a protest against the Iranian regime in Bern
Keystone-SDA
Around 200 people demonstrated in front of the Iranian embassy in Bern on Saturday. The protest was authorised, but was accompanied by a large police contingent.
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Protesters carried banners with slogans such as “People die, Bern is silent”, the Keystone-SDA news agency reported on Saturday.
Mass protests in Iran have been brutally suppressed resulting in several thousand deaths, according to human rights organisations.
The protesters in Bern shouted support for the son of the overthrown Shah (“King Reza”) and against Iran’s religious leader (“Go to hell Khamenei”). The square rally was noisy, but initially passed off without incident. Police officers stood in full riot gear in front of the sealed-off Iranian embassy.
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Police on site with a large contingent
A similar but unauthorised protest on Tuesday was less peaceful and the police used tear gas. The participants initially did not comply with the request to open the road to traffic immediately. In addition, three men had entered the embassy premises without authorisation before the operation.
The Bern cantonal police announced a large deployment in the city centre for Saturday. Shortly after the Iranian protest began, an unauthorised demo against the World Economic Forum (WEF) was due to take place in the Bahnhofplatz in central Bern. Traffic restrictions were expected.
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Translated from German by AI/sb
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