Thousands join Iran protest in Brussels

Several thousand people gathered on Sunday at Schuman roundabout in Brussels to call for regime change in Iran, with hundreds of protestors still joining an hour after the official start.

The demonstration was an initiative of the city's Iranian diaspora.

Demonstrators waved the historic Iranian flag with the lion and the sun, which was the official symbol of Iran until the Islamic Revolution of 1979, along with images of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah of Iran, calling for his return.

Pahlavi, who has been living in exile in the United States for years, is considered the most important opposition figure.

During the demonstration, there were also regular chants in support of US president Donald Trump, who has declared his support for the Iranian people.

The European Union and the Belgian government were called upon to take a tougher stance against the Iranian regime.

Police were present at the demonstration, but the protest took place without major incidents.

At the end of December, large-scale protests broke out in Iran against the authoritarian regime of the Islamic Republic and were brutally suppressed.

The US-based human rights network HRANA reported 5,495 confirmed fatalities during the protests.

However, the exact extent of the violence is difficult to determine, partly due to internet disruptions.