Iran activists call for new mass protests as Biden voices support

A woman shouts at a solidarity rally in Istanbul

Iranian pro-government protesters burn flags of the US, Israel and Britain

Iranian activists called for fresh nationwide protests on Saturday over the death of Mahsa Amini, as US President Joe Biden voiced his support for "the brave women of Iran".

Outrage over the 22-year-old's death on September 16, three days after she was arrested by Iran's notorious morality police, has fuelled the biggest wave of street protests and violence seen in the country for years.

Despite blocked access to internet services and platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp, activists issued an online appeal for a huge turnout for protests on Saturday under the catchcry "The beginning of the end!"

"We have to be present in the squares, because the best VPN these days is the street," they declared, referring to virtual private networks used to skirt internet restrictions.

The protesters drew support from the US president, who said he was "stunned" by the mass demonstrations, now in their fifth week.

"It stunned me what it awakened in Iran. It awakened something that I don't think will be quieted for a long, long time," he said.

Iran "has to end the violence against its own citizens simply exercising their fundamental rights," he added.

The unrest has continued despite what Amnesty International called an "unrelenting brutal crackdown" that included an "all-out attack on child protesters" -- leading to the deaths of at least 23 minors.

The bloody crackdown has drawn international condemnation and new sanctions on Iran from Britain, Canada and the United States.

On Friday, Khamenei's government condemned French President Emmanuel Macron for remarks in which he expressed solidarity with the protests sparked over Amini's death.

He said it was "surprising" that France was condemning Iran's security forces for dealing with "violent people and rioters" when it was threatening to use force in response to "labour strikes in the oil and gas sector" at home.

- Counter-demonstration -

A call also went out this week for "retirees" of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to gather on Saturday given "the current sensitive situation", according to a journalist at the Shargh newspaper.

Schoolchildren have been arrested inside classrooms and ended up in "psychological centres", Education Minister Yousef Nouri said this week, quoted by Shargh.

It came after a video showed a male officer appearing to grope the woman from behind while arresting her before she was eventually allowed to leave.

In an open letter published on its front page Thursday, reformist newspaper Etemad called on Iran's top security official, Ali Shamkhani, to stop arrests being made under "pretences that are sometimes false".

A bid to show they had the support of famous women unravelled overnight after a photomontage of dozens wearing the hijab disappeared from a Tehran billboard within 24 hours of being erected as it featured some personalities known to oppose the headscarf.

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