Belgian foreign minister cuts hair in parliament in support of Iranian women

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Belgium’s foreign minister and two other lawmakers cut their hair in parliament, in solidarity with anti-government demonstrations in Iran triggered by the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.

Hadja Lahbib snipped off a lock of her hair on Thursday, following the example of deputy Darya Safai.

Iranian-born Safai had taken scissors to hers – to applause from other lawmakers – after asking the minister about Belgium’s response to a crackdown on widespread protests inside Iran.

A third lawmaker, Goedele Liekens, also cut her hair.

Lahbib, born in Belgium of Algerian parents, told parliament that her government would ask the European Union to impose sanctions against architects of the crackdown when the bloc’s foreign ministers meet later this month.

Iran’s clerical rulers have been battling to contain the most widespread unrest in years since Amini’s death, and protests have spread to many major cities abroad including London, Paris, Rome and Madrid.

On Wednesday, a Swedish member of the European Parliament, Abir Al-Sahlani, cut off part of her hair during a speech in the EU assembly.

(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Editing by John Chalmers and John Stonestreet)