About 50 people gathered at the Place de la Monnaie in Brussels on Saturday to join in on the demonstrations that have taken place in Iran in recent days.

Iranians have taken to the streets recently to protest against cuts in state food subsidies, which has led to price hikes of up to 300%, while more than half of the population already lives below the poverty line.

The demonstrators, Iranians from Belgium and sympathizers of their cause, in favor of democracy in Iran, mobilised at the Place de la Monnaie, with flags and portraits of resistance fighters and martyrs.

“Here we echo the voice of brave Iranian men and women who are campaigning for bread and freedom,” said Mehdi Nobari, spokesperson for the association of Iranian refugees in Belgium, Iran-Ref.

“We express our solidarity with the uprisings that have taken place across the country in recent days,” he added.

The demonstrators also protested against violence and injustice in Iran. “Given the increase in executions in Iran, led by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, as well as the sponsorship of international terrorism, we demand that the European Union stands alongside the Iranian people and their resistance in their fight for an end to the dictatorship,” said Mehdi Nobari.

The demonstrators also paid tribute to the victims of the disaster in Abadan, one of the main cities of the province of Khuzestan, where a building collapsed on last week, killing 26 people.

Source » brusselstimes