Europe 1 with AFP 14:27 p.m., March 24, 2023

In the wake of the ninth day of protests against the pension reform, which saw more than 450 arrests across the country, Iran called on the government to "listen" to the protesters.

Iran on Friday called on the France to avoid violence and "listen" to demonstrators, a day after a new day of protests against pension reform, marked by a series of incidents. More than 450 people were arrested and "441 police and gendarmes" wounded Thursday, announced the Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin, during this day marked by the most serious violence since the beginning of the movement in January.

"The French government must speak to its people and listen to their voice"

"The French government must speak to its people and listen to their voice," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said on Twitter. "We do not support destruction or riots, but we maintain that instead of creating chaos in other countries, you should listen to the voice of your people and avoid using violence against them," he said.

The French government should talk to its people and listen to their voices.

This kind of violence has nothing to do with leaning on the chair of moral lessons and preaching to others.1/2 pic.twitter.com/W0HWVI79l2

— Nasser Kanaani (@IRIMFA_SPOX) March 24, 2023

Criticism following the Mahsa Amini case

The spokesperson was referring to criticism abroad, including by the France, of Iran's crackdown on protests following the September 16 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for violating the strict dress code for women in the Islamic Republic.

Several hundred people, including dozens of members of the security forces, were killed and thousands arrested during the protests, described by Iranian authorities as "riots" fomented by Israel and Western countries. The European Union, like the United States and the United Kingdom, have imposed several rounds of sanctions against Tehran for cracking down on protest, particularly by women.

>> READ ALSO - Iran: where is the protest in the country, five months after the death of Mahsa Amini?

"Those who sow the wind reap the storm"

"Those who sow the wind reap the storm," said Nasser Kanani: "This kind of violence contradicts giving moral lessons to others." French President Emmanuel Macron is behind the reform, which plans to raise the retirement age to 64, and the government remain inflexible in the face of protesters.

The protest has seen a resurgence since the adoption of the reform via 49.3, a controversial article of the French Constitution that allowed the text to be forced through the National Assembly.