TEHRAN — Workers in France have been protesting to call on Emmanuel Macron for wage rises as their purchasing power is eaten away due to high inflation rate.

According to Reuters, 11 people were arrested only in Paris, and 107000 people across France joined the protests. The CGT trade union says 70000 people took part in the Paris march. 
The first demonstrations took place on October 16, when tens of thousands of people marched in Paris to protest the rising cost of living. Strikes at oil refineries and nuclear power plants added fuel to the fire. 
Although the French protesters, unlike rioters in Iran, difradn’t set a police officer on fire or resort to any form of violence, the French police resorted to tear gas to disperse the people. 

Videos published on social media show that the French police used batons and pepper spray to counter the protesters. Various unions, including those engaged in the French railway and automotive sectors announced that they would participate in a general strike on Tuesday, and they did. 

With the continuation of the French oil refinery workers' strike, Macron's government is worried that what happened following the Yellow Vest protests will be repeated as the protests spread to other economic sectors.

After two weeks of crippling strikes by oil refinery workers in France, which led to the shutdown of more than 30 percent of gas stations, the risk of it spreading to other economic sectors has increased in the coming days.

Strikes by oil workers since last week have led to disruptions at oil facilities and long queues at gas stations, particularly in Paris and northern France. Meanwhile, despite the efforts of Macron and his cabinet to reach an agreement with some leading opposition unions, the situation has not yet returned to normal.

This movement, with numerous calls to strike in other sectors has already increased the risks of spreading the strikes and paralyzing the economy. 

Nonetheless, there is no fake news by mainstream media outlets. You don’t find a media outlet teaching French protesters how to make Molotov cocktails. Why? This is only reserved when protests erupt in Iran. 

The instructions are clear: Downplay protests in Europe and don’t lead them to riots, but exaggerate protests in Iran and cause unrest in order to paralyze the Islamic Republic. 

The protests and the ensuing riots that erupted over the tragic death of Mahsa Amini presented the West with yet another opportunity to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs under the pretext of supporting the basic rights of a people suffering from the very sanctions imposed by the West. 

The death of Amini caused huge sorrow in Iran and understandably prompted some Iranian youth to take to the streets to protest the death of the young girl. This was understood by Iranian officials who sought to follow up on the case and address any possible shortcomings. 

The West jumped in with inflammatory statements and sanctions that only severed to make the situation worse. The Iranian officials, while continuing to seek justice for Amini, have moved to highlight the West’s double standards in dealing with protests in Iran. 

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani has called on media outlets to address the recent labor strikes in France’s oil and gas sector, which indicated the double standards employed by the West in dealing with the unrest. 

In remarks to state news agency IRNA, Kanaani pointed to the French authorities’ threat to forcibly end the strikes, saying this should be addressed by the media.

“Labor strikes in France’s oil and gas sector and the French authorities’ threat to use force in order to put an end to the strikes deserve media coverage,” Kanaani said. 

Kanaani also noted that Iran’s Constitution recognizes the right to peaceful gatherings, expressing surprise that the French president and some other officials in the European country are condemning Iran for dealing with acts of violence.

He stressed that this comes as the French officials including the government spokesman in response to a strike by workers in the country’s oil and gas sector as well as refineries threaten the workers and say if they do not end their protests and industrial action, authorities would end them by force.

However, no meddlesome statements from the U.S. officials who couldn’t stop talking about the protests in Iran. 

The United States openly interfered in Iran’s internal affairs by taking a variety of measures ranging from facilitating satellite-internet and meeting with anti-Iran elements to issuing statements in support of rioters. 

The Biden administration also imposed sanctions on Iran. In its latest meddlesome move, senior Biden officials invited anti-Iran activists to show support for riots in Iran.
Hypocrisy at its peak!