Berlin rally for Iran draws 80,000

BERLIN, Germany - Some 80,000 people joined a Berlin rally Saturday in solidarity with women-led protests in Iran sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a police spokesman told AFP.

"Today, thousands of people are showing their solidarity with courageous women and demonstrators in Iran," tweeted Germany's Green Party minister for family affairs, Lisa Paus. "We are by your side," she added.

Some marchers joining a rally called by a women's collective brandished slogans such as "Women, Life, Freedom" with some waving Kurdish flags.

Participants peacefully made their way towards the city centre in radiant autumnal sunshine, as police followed their progress from helicopters.

Iran has seen some six weeks of growing women-led protests and on Saturday, shopkeepers and factory workers went on strike as citizens react angrily to the death in custody of Amini, a 22-year-old arrested for allegedly breaching the country's strict dress code for women.

The protests are the biggest seen in the Islamic republic for years, harking back to 2019 rallies sparked by rocketing fuel price rises.

Young women have led the charge, removing their headscarves, chanting anti-government slogans and confronting the security forces.

Oslo-based Iran Human Rights group says at least 122 people -- including some children -- have died in the unrest.