TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has accused French President Emmanuel Macron of applying double standards to protests in Iran and France, pointing to “a stark contrast” between Macron’s response to unrest in Iran and his stance on attacks against public institutions in France.
In a post on X, Baqaei recalled France’s position on the domestic unrest in Iran in January 2026 and its response to the US-Israeli military aggression against the country, challenging Macron over his approach to the recent protests in France.
“Mr. Macron, do you remember that last January you were advocating ‘peaceful demonstrations without fear of punishment’ for those who, following malicious calls from abroad, attacked our law enforcement centers and public institutions?” Baqaei wrote.
“Now, in your own republic, you say that vandalism and attacks on institutions will not be tolerated and that those responsible will be severely punished!”
Baqaei also recalled a text message Macron sent to US President Donald Trump shortly before the military aggression against Iran, quoting the French president as saying: “We can do great things on Iran.”
The spokesperson argued that subsequent events had revealed the meaning of Macron’s words, accusing France of aligning with the aggression against Iran and the crimes that had consequences extending across the region and beyond.
Addressing Macron directly, Baqaei drew a parallel between the unrest in France and the “No Kings” protests in the United States, warning that alliances formed to advance political agendas could ultimately backfire on those behind them.
“Mr. Macron, now that the fire has reached your own home and ‘No Kings’ is being shouted in America, remember that history does not always watch the world burn through the window opened by ill-fated alliances. Sometimes, it breaks that very window and returns to the homes of those who opened it,” he wrote.
Baqaei concluded his post with a quotation attributed to French fabulist Jean de La Fontaine: “The more artfully a deception is woven, the more damaging it may prove to its author; and treachery may well return to the one who committed it.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: tehrantimes.com
