Asked in his weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday about Iran’s reaction to recent violent protests in France, Qassemi said, “The French government cannot continue violence against its people.”
“Our recommendation to the French government and police is to show restraint,” he said, adding, “It should also be said to the people on the streets that ultimately, the conditions may become more complicated by hostile and violent acts.”
The spokesman further expressed hope that the problem would be resolved by the French government’s wise and positive measures.
A third weekend of nationwide protests by the “Yellow Vests” protest movement, largely made up of working-class people angry about a planned increase in fuel taxes and their dwindling purchasing power, left burned cars and smashed store windows in several of the wealthiest neighborhoods of Paris.
The movement is named for the high-visibility safety vests that motorists are supposed to wear when they have roadside breakdowns.
Broken glass and empty tear gas canisters fired by the police littered the city, where hundreds of vandals joined the ranks of the protesters. One person died in the unrest this weekend outside Paris, bringing to three the number of casualties on the margins of the demonstrations over the last three weekends of protests.