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A woman who took off her hijab during anti-government protests in Iran has been branded "a hero".

The lone woman was filmed without the traditional Middle Eastern head dress and waving a white flag, in an apparent protest against the country's strict dress code for women.

Laws have been in place in Iran since 1979 stating women must observe the Islamic dress code.

This week police in capital Tehran announced they would no longer arrest women who fail to observe the strict Islamic dress code.

However, local news reports suggest women who wear non-Islamic dress could still be made to attend classes given by police.

(Image: Twitter) (Image: Twitter)

The clip was posted to Twitter by Armin Navabi, an atheist and author of a book called Why There Is No God.

He captioned the video: "This woman in #Iran took off her #Hijab to protest the mandatory Islamic dress code imposed on Iranian women. #IStandWithHer #IranProtests #Islam.”

The tweet has been liked and shared thousands of times with many people offering their support to her.

One commented: “She’s a real hero” while another said: “Person of the year 2017… Awesome courage.”

Others called the woman brave and inspirational.

(Image: Twitter) (Image: Twitter)

Iran's young people have been calling for a change in the law regarding dress code.

But hard-liners who are strongly against such moves still dominate Iran’s security forces and justice system, so it is unclear whether the change will be fully implemented.

Protests have broken out in Tehran and other Iranian cities over the past few days.

Anti-establishment protesters are angry at the government over a number of issues including the economy, poor living standards and accusations of corruption.

(Image: Twitter)

Pro-government demonstrations have also taken place throughout the country, to counter the critics.

Interior Minister Abdolrahman Rahmani Fazli urged people "not to participate in these illegal gatherings as they will create problems for themselves and other citizens".

American President Donald Trump warned Iran the “world is watching” and said the Iranian government should “respect their people’s rights, including right to express themselves”.