AdvertisementAn anti-Iranian regime protester holds a flag of Iran from before the 1979 revolution, with the lion and sun emblems, during a demonstration outside the Iranian Consulate in Istanbul, on Jan 11, 2026. (Photo: AFP/Yasin Akgul)12 Jan 2026 03:45AM (Updated: 12 Jan 2026 03:46AM) Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInRead a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST PARIS: Demonstrators rallied in London, Paris and Istanbul on Sunday (Jan 11) in support of protests in Iran that have been countered with a deadly crackdown by the country's security forces.London demonstrations, initially in front of the Iranian embassy and later in front of the British prime minister's residence, grew to several thousand as the day progressed."We want revolution, change the regime," Afsi, a 38-year-old Iranian, who declined to give her last name, told AFP at the rally in front of Downing Street.Afsi has lived in London for seven years, and has not been able to contact her family in Iran because of an internet blackout imposed by authorities since Thursday." It's so frustrating, but it's not the first time," he said. "This time, we have hope ... we feel like we can do it (overthrow the government) this time." Iran rights group warns of 'mass killing' of protestersIn Paris, more than 2,000 people waving Iran's flag from before the Islamic Revolution in 1979 demonstrated, to chants of "No to the terrorist Islamic Republic".Police did not allow them to approach the Iranian embassy."Close the mullahs' embassy, the terrorist factory," some demonstrators yelled.A 20-year-old Iranian student living in Paris, who gave his first name as Arya, said: "In Iran, the people are rising up in the streets, and we Iranians outside Iran are here to show we are with them and they are not alone."He said he was waiting to hear what the son of Iran's last shah, US-based Reza Pahlavi, "will tell us to do".Pahlavi has emerged as a potential figurehead for government opponents.Anti-Iranian regime protesters hold a placard reading "Voice for the voiceless" and the flag of Iran from before the 1979 revolution, with the Lion and Sun emblems, during a demonstration outside the Iranian Consulate in Istanbul, on Jan 11, 2026. (Photo: AFP/Yasin Akgul)The protests, initially sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, have lasted two weeks and become a movement against the theocratic system in place since the 1979 revolution. Iranian authorities have called the protesters "rioters" who are backed by the United States and Israel.In Istanbul, demonstrators voicing support for the Iranian protesters gathered in steady rain.Police cordoned off the area outside the Iranian consulate, and the crowd was kept away from the mission."It's been 72 hours since we had any news from the country, from our families. No internet or television, we can't reach Iran anymore," said Nina, a young Iranian living in Turkey who had the Iranian flag and red tears painted on her face."The regime kills at random - whether families are on foot or in a car, whether there are children. It spares no one," she added.The crackdown by Iran's authorities has resulted in at least 192 deaths, according to the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights.Protesters display placards and banners criticising the Iranian regime during a rally in Berlin, Germany, on Jan 10, 2026, in support of the Iran protests. (Photo: AFP/John MacDougall)The US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said it had received "credible" accounts of "hundreds of protesters" killed across Iran since the internet clampdown started. The leaders of Britain, France and Germany on Friday condemned the "killing of protestors" in Iran, while US President Donald Trump said Saturday his country stood "ready to help" as Iranians protest.One of the demonstrators in London, Fahimeh Moradi, 52 ans, said she was taking part "to support the Iranian people who are killed and murdered by the Iran regime -- we don't want the Islamic Republic of Iran, we hate them!"She added, "My son is there, and I don't know if he's alive or not. We just want this murderous regime to leave Iran, that's it!"Source: AFP/fsSign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST