Instagram blocked the French-language page of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei on Friday after he published an open letter to French youths promoting Holocaust denial, according to reports in Iran’s state-controlled media.
"Why is it a crime to raise doubts about the Holocaust?" Khamenei wrote in his Wednesday post. "Why should anyone who writes about such doubts be imprisoned while insulting the [Islamic] Prophet is allowed?"
Muslims across the globe have launched protests in recent days following French president Emmanuel Macron’s vow to protect free speech in the country, including controversial cartoons portraying the prophet Muhammad, the Islamic religion’s central figure. Depictions of Muhammad are banned under Islamic law. Macron also has come under fire for his government’s efforts to combat the rise of hardline Islamists in the country and promote further integration into French society.
Iran’s Khamenei opened a new French-language Instagram page following the ban on his initial account.