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Iranians Grand Gathering and March in Paris Rejects Any Form of Dictatorship

Iran Rally Grand NCRI MEK Paris min
Iran Rally Grand NCRI MEK Paris min

On Sunday, February 12, more than ten thousand freedom-loving Iranians, supporters of the Mujahedin-e Khalq organization (MEK), and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) held a rally in Paris, France. This grand gathering was in solidarity with the current revolution in the making in Iran and also a tribute to the 1979 anti-monarchial revolution.  

During Sunday’s event, the freedom-loving Iranians in Paris echoed the voice of their risen compatriots by chanting the popular slogans in Iran, such as “Death to the oppressor, be it Shah or the mullahs.” This slogan proves the democratic nature of the current uprising and how the ongoing protests and Iranians are loyal to the democratic heritage and essence of the 1979 revolution, which was sadly hijacked by the ruling theocracy.  

This fact was highlighted by the event’s speakers, particularly NCRI’s president-elect, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, who was the keynote speaker. “A dictatorship is a dictatorship, whether with a turban or a crown.”  

She further stated, “The word of REVOLUTION has triumphed and broken the yokes of the Shah and the mullahs, and it shines bright, fighting on, and determined to bring freedom to victory.”  

“We find ourselves in the midst of a new democratic revolution, where our people strive for a democratic republic free from torture, violence, oppression, and dependency. Let us remember that dictatorship, whether draped in a turban or a crown, remains a dictatorship,” she added.  

Reiterating the demands of the Iranian people, she said, “The IRGC must be added to the list of designated terrorist organizations by the European Union. The IRGC and the Intelligence Ministry, which has been used as a diplomatic facade for the regime’s bombing plots, must be disbanded. This is what the people of Iran demand and indispensable to promoting regional and global peace.” 

Jean Francois Legaret, former mayor of Paris 1st arrondissement, supported Mrs. Rajavi and her ten-point plan for the future of Iran. “This regime threatens the globe. We are here for a common message: We must fight. Freedom and democracy must win in Iran. Maryam Rajavi’s program supports this. This fight must support three words: democracy, republic, freedom.”  

Jacques Boutault, former Mayor of Paris Second District and Deputy Mayor of Central Paris, joined his colleague in supporting the Iranian resistance and people. “We support the revolution to get rid of the regime. The 1979 revolution was stolen by the mullahs 44 years ago. We, democrats, stand in solidarity with you.”  

“It is great to be on the right side of history, here with the Iranian diaspora, in solidarity with protesters in Iran,” said Ingrid Betancourt, former Colombian Senator and Presidential Candidate, who spoke next.  

She underlined that the 1979 revolution “was a democratic revolution that was stolen by Khomeini, who replaced the Shah. He took advantage of the Shah’s repression of the opposition to seize power. Today, the opposition is back in the streets. Protesters are chanting, “Death to the dictator, whether it be the Shah or the mullahs!” 

“It is time for us to rise and stop being scared and stop kneeling in front of the Iranian regime—not only for the Iranian people but also us here in Europe. The struggle of the Iranian people is our struggle. We are held hostage by this regime,” she underlined.  

Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt, former Belgian Prime Minister, was the next interlocutor, who said, “During the 1979 revolution, I was 26 years old. I was hopeful that with the departure of the dictator, the people of Iran had good prospects for freedom. But unfortunately, a new dictator replaced the old one.” He also expressed his solidarity with the Iranian people while urging the European countries to hold Tehran accountable and blacklist the regime’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).  

“ As Europeans, we need to do a lot more. We must hold the regime accountable for its crimes. We must impose massive sanctions on those who are responsible for human rights abuses in Iran. We must break the backbone of the Iranian regime, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. We must condemn the ideology and criminal activity of the regime. We must cut off funding to this organization and make sure it is listed as a terrorist entity,” he said.  

“We detest dictatorship, and we demand democracy for the long-suffering people of Iran. Lest anybody tries to misrepresent us, we are clear, meeting here, marking the 44th anniversary of the overthrow of the diabolical and despicable Shah, that we do not want to go back to that dictatorship under any circumstances,” said John Bercow, former Speaker of the UK House of Commons, who intervened next.  

“If we are to help the people of Iran to chart a course to genuine democracy, we must recognize that it is time to proscribe those who don’t believe in democracy or freedom and only believe in the fascistic application of force. The IRGC represents precisely that bestial, dangerous, and violence-oriented ethos. It should be proscribed as the terrorist organization that it is,” Hon. John Bercow added.  

Ms. Mahnaz Salimian, the NCRI’s senior Secretary, delivered her remarks to the audience next. “The regime is trying to block the democratic alternative. But this resistance, with more than 120,000 martyrs and the activities of Resistance Units and youths, will overthrow this regime and rid the region and the world of its evil,” she underlined.  

“We will not forgive or forget. All the people who were tortured and killed by the mullahs and Shah’s regime must not be forgotten. The crimes of the mullahs’ regime must not make us forget the crimes of Shah’s regime,” said the next speaker, Ms. Zinat Mirhashemi, Member of the NCRI and editor of the Nabard Khalq publication. 

Several members of the Iranian communities in Europe spoke at the rally, emphasizing the Iranian people’s desire for regime change and how the population rejects any form of dictatorship, be it a monarchy or another version of the ruling theocracy.  

Freedom-loving Iranians also marched while holding signs and placards in solidarity with the Iranian people and urging western governments to support the Iranian people’s demand to establish a democratic, secular, and non-nuclear Iran by recognizing Iranians’ right to self-defense and self-determination.  

Iranian Grand rally in Paris rejects any form of dictatorship- Feb 12, 2023