Paris police issued a last-minute ban on a rally planned by the Iranian opposition group National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) for June 20, 2026, citing the risk of violent clashes amid a tense domestic and international context [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The rally was expected to draw about 100,000 participants near Place Vauban and Les Invalides in central Paris to protest political executions and repression in Iran [1, 3, 5, 6].
The ban was announced on the evening of June 18 following a phone call between French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, though the French Foreign Ministry denied any link between the call and the ban, stating, "This allegation is false. The (Iranian) minister did not mention this protest or request its cancellation" [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. NCRI dismissed police reasons for the ban as "bogus" and said organizers had coordinated with Paris police for two months and fulfilled all legal requirements [1, 2, 5].
The Paris administrative court upheld the ban on the day of the rally, rejecting NCRI's emergency appeal to allow the gathering [2, 5, 6, 7]. Despite the prohibition, hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Place Vauban on June 20 to protest Iran's wave of political executions and oppression [2, 8, 6, 7, 9].
Police dispersed the crowd using pepper spray and arrested about 20 people. NCRI representatives said the arrests were made without provocation and that protesters did not engage in violence. Approximately 12 protesters were injured during dispersal [2, 8, 6, 7, 9]. NCRI member Afchine Alavi said, "They arrested about 20 people without reason and used pepper spray to disperse the crowd. Protesters did not engage in any violence" [8].
The Iranian government has banned NCRI and designates it as a terrorist group. Tehran has repeatedly pushed for limiting NCRI's activities abroad [1, 3, 5]. In 2023, Paris police also banned an NCRI rally citing security concerns, but a court overturned the ban, allowing the event to proceed [1, 5].
Human rights groups report over 40 executions in Iran since the start of the latest conflict and crackdown, many of which are related to pre-conflict protests [3, 8, 7, 9].
Paris police will continue monitoring demonstrations linked to the Iranian opposition as tensions remain high.
