Paris, February 8, 2025 – Thousands of Iranians gathered in Paris today to mark the 46th anniversary of the 1979 anti-monarchical revolution and to call for the downfall of Iran’s ruling theocracy. The demonstrators, carrying banners with slogans such as “Death to the Oppressor, Be it the Shah or the Supreme Leader” and “Long Live the Iranian People’s Democratic Revolution”, rejected both monarchical and clerical rule, advocating for a democratic alternative. The event also paid tribute to fallen freedom fighters, particularly those who died resisting both regimes.
Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), delivered the keynote speech, emphasizing the Iranian people’s continuous struggle against dictatorship. “Yes, neither Shah nor Sheikh—long live the Iranian people’s democratic revolution!” she declared, as the crowd erupted in applause. Rajavi described the clerical regime as being at its weakest point, surrounded by domestic resistance, international pressure, and growing societal unrest. “Ali Khamenei once said, ‘If we don’t fight in Syria, we will have to fight in Tehran and Isfahan.’ Well, now they are losing Syria and Lebanon, and they are resorting to mass executions in Iran to maintain control.” She reaffirmed the NCRI’s commitment to a democratic republic, gender equality, and the separation of religion from the state while urging world powers to back the Iranian people’s aspirations instead of engaging with the Tehran regime.
The generation of the 1979 Revolution was massacred time and again, shackled in chains, and bombarded with lies and demonization. Yet, it endured and multiplied in the rebellious and uprising generations.
They sought to extinguish and bury Iran’s revolution. But under Massoud… pic.twitter.com/g3zuCsXrgL— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) February 8, 2025
Former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt delivered a powerful speech, declaring 2025 as the year of transformation for Iran. “Just as Syria liberated itself from Bashar al-Assad, Iran will be free of the mullahs.” He warned about the Iranian regime’s nuclear ambitions and its attempts to manipulate international negotiations. “The mullahs’ regime tries to obtain nuclear weapons to threaten the West and to end the sanctions. The policy of appeasement must end.” He called for decisive action: “First, end the appeasement policy. Second, reimpose the UN Security Council’s six resolutions against the mullahs. Third, designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization. Finally, recognize the Iranian Resistance as the real representatives of the people of Iran.”
Jean-François Legaret, former mayor of Paris’s 1st district and president of the Foundation for Middle East Studies, stressed that the Iranian regime is not as invincible as it claims. “The downfall of the Assad regime was a turning point. It sends a clear message to the people of Iran that the regime is weak both inside the country and across the world.” He urged support for Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan as a roadmap to democracy.
Former Colombian Senator Ingrid Betancourt highlighted the global fight against tyranny. “You who rally to support those who fight give us hope that Iran will be free.” She denounced the regime’s human rights abuses, particularly its hostage-taking tactics. “We have French citizens taken hostage by the regime as bargaining chips. We are here for the people on death row in Iran. We must stop these criminals ruling Iran.”
Today, February 8, 2025, thousands of Iranians and supporters of the #NCRIAlternative rallied in Paris, marking the anniversary of #Iran’s 1979 revolution and reaffirming their commitment to overthrow the clerical dictatorship. pic.twitter.com/RvnzI3MSw1
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 8, 2025
Christine Arrighi, a French MP, underscored the historical certainty of dictatorships collapsing. “They collapse from inside, from the pressure of the world, from the resistance of people like you.” She praised the Iranian opposition, stating, “Will Iran have the democracy that the people deserve? This is what we are here to ensure.”
Jacques Boutault, Deputy Mayor of Paris Centre and former Mayor of the 2nd arrondissement of Paris condemned the Iranian regime’s rampant executions. “The Iranian regime is responsible for 74% of executions in 2023. In 2024, it executed more than 1,000 people. This tendency toward execution and death is alarming.” He stressed the need for international action. “We, the mayors of France, support Maryam Rajavi’s call to abolish the death penalty, which is included in her Ten-Point Plan for the future of Iran.”
Zinat Mirhashemi, a leading member of the NCRI and the Cherikhaye Fedaee Organization (OIPFG), emphasized the perseverance of the Iranian people in their fight for freedom. “The oppression of the Shah regime prevented people from breathing. This is why the people rose and created a revolution to overthrow the Shah regime.” She reaffirmed that the people of Iran deserve to dream of and achieve freedom.
Former Belgian PM @guyverhofstadt: "This year will be special because it will be the year of change in #FreeIran2025, freedom from the mullahs’ dictatorship. Around the world, people are rising against dictatorship."#NCRIAlternative pic.twitter.com/ENcBmqU8cr
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 8, 2025
Kak Baba Sheikh Hosseini, Secretary General of the Khabat Organization of Iranian Kurdistan, expressed solidarity with the Iranian Resistance and emphasized that a free Iran will have no place for dictatorship. “The dictatorship of the mullahs hijacked the revolution of the Iranian people against the Shah regime. During its rule, it carried out the worst crimes against the people of Iran.” He highlighted the unity of Kurdish resistance with the broader opposition. “The people of Kurdistan have fought against the Shah and mullahs’ regimes. They will remain in the fight for a democratic republic.”
In a video message, Colonel Riad al-Asaad, founder of the Free Syrian Army, expressed solidarity with the Iranian people and their struggle against tyranny. “Our relationship with Mrs. Maryam Rajavi and the Iranian Resistance was established at the very beginning of the Syrian revolution,” he said. “The people of Iran, who once overthrew the Shah’s dictatorship, have shown through their resistance that they can also topple the dictatorship of the Supreme Leader.”
Mahnaz Salimian, Senior Secretary of the NCRI, declared that the same fiery spirit that overthrew the Shah in 1979 would bring down the clerical regime. “The central pillar of this system has lost its strategic levers of survival in the region. Regime officials are tearing each other apart to stay alive.”
"We also know that all dictatorships will one day collapse. This is what history tells us. They collapse from inside, from the pressure of the world, from the resistance of people like you," French MP @ChArrighi said during the #ParisFreeIranRally #NCRIAlternative pic.twitter.com/muGTv4mNaM
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 8, 2025
Several Iranian Resistance supporters, including Rebecca Malihi, Arash Marandi, Dr. Sina Dashti, Milica Javdan, and Mona Forouzandeh, delivered speeches echoing the call for revolution. “After 46 years of struggle and sacrifice, we have everything we need to achieve victory,” said Marandi. Dr. Dashti reinforced the need for a revolutionary approach. “For us, overthrowing the regime is not merely a transfer of power—it is about shaping a democratic and prosperous society.” Forouzandeh honored the sacrifices of young revolutionaries and Resistance Units. “Iran is no place for executioners! The young generation of Iran will uproot both the Shah and the mullahs forever.”
Arvin Habibi, a PMOI supporter in France, paid tribute to the frontline fighters of the Iranian Resistance. “Today, in this darkness, a light shines: The light of the Resistance Units—heroes who fearlessly embrace death for Iran’s freedom.” He dismissed alternative movements that sought to derail the revolution, concluding with a firm declaration of support. “We stand in full support of the just struggle of the PMOI.”