THERAN: Iranian activists called for new nationwide demonstrations in response to the death of Mahsa Amini as the movement entered its fifth week on Friday, resulting in the death of several people. According to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, no one should dare to think that they can overthrow the Islamic Republic.

Khamenei compared the Islamic republic to an unbroken tree. He announced on state television that "that the seedling is now a mighty tree and that no one should dare to think that they can uproot it."

Outrage over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16 sparked the biggest wave of street protests and violent incidents in Iran in years, three days after she was arrested by the country's notorious morality police.

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Young women are leading the protest, raising anti-government slogans, covering their heads, and manhandling police officers on the streets.

At least 108 people have been killed in the Amini protests, and at least 93 more have died in separate clashes in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchistan's southeastern province, according to the Oslo-based organization Iran Human Rights. Has been.

Despite what Amnesty International referred to as "relentlessly brutal action", which included "all-round attacks on child protesters" and resulted in the deaths of at least 23 children, unrest remains.

There were fewer reports of street protests on Friday as a result of Amini's death, but an AFP-verified online video showed hundreds of men protesting in Zahedan after weekly prayers.

The phrase "beginning of the end!" It was used in online appeals by activists for a massive turnout in the protests on Saturday, despite internet services and platforms such as Instagram and WhatsApp being blocked. There have been calls for "death to the dictator" slogans across Iran where security forces are absent.

The best place to use a virtual private network (VPN) these days to bypass internet restrictions is on the street, so we have to live in squares, he announced.

The Islamic Development Coordination Council, one of Iran's leading revolutionary organizations, responded by urging people to "express their revolutionary anger against treason and rioters" by participating in a counter-demonstration on Saturday after evening prayers Is.

The bloody crackdown has prompted widespread condemnation and new sanctions against Iran from the United States, Britain and Canada. Khamenei has accused the US and Israel of inciting "riots" between opponents of other countries.

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His government on Friday slammed French President Emmanuel Macron for his comments showing support for the protests over Amini's death. Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani claimed Macron's comments encouraged "violent people and law breakers".

He argued that it was "astonishing" for France to criticize Iran's security forces for dealing with "violent people and rioters" while threatening to use force domestically in response to "labor attacks in the oil and gas sector". was.

He declared, "This is gross hypocrisy."

Also meeting with Islamic Republic activists on Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised the widespread demonstrations in Iran.

The Iranian regime continues to deny the basic rights of many people, and Blinken praised "the remarkable display of courage as women, youth and many others throughout Iran stand up for these rights."

In light of the "current sensitive situation", the appeal was made this week to "retirees" of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to a reporter for the Sharg newspaper.

Security forces launched a campaign of mass arrests in response to the demonstrations, resulting in the capture of youth activists, journalists, students and even minors.

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Students were detained inside classrooms and taken to "psychological centres", according to Education Minister Yousef Nouri, quoted by Sharg this week.

The Tehran Police Department announced on Friday that it would investigate the actions of an officer following allegations of harassment during the arrest of a woman protesting Amini's death. This is a rare display of accountability.

This happened after a video surfaced in which the woman was arrested and then let go, while a male officer was seen groping her from behind. Some people from within the country have expressed support for the protesters.

The reformist newspaper Etemad, in an open letter on its front page on Thursday, urged Iran's top security official Ali Shamkhani to stop arrests under "sometimes false pretenses".

Women wearing black chadors, which cover the head and body, have been invited to the government of Iran's rallies.

An attempt to demonstrate that they had the backing of well-known women fell apart overnight after a photomontage of many people wearing the hijab was removed from a billboard in Tehran within 24 hours of its installation because it included some people who are known to be against the headscarf.