On February 12, more than 10,000 freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) gathered in Paris to mark the 44th anniversary of the 1979 revolution and to support the ongoing uprisings in Iran.
The participants and speakers of the rally had a main message: The people of Iran and their resistance movement are determined to overthrow the mullah’s regime, and they will not return to Shah dictatorship.
The rally, which took place in Place Denfert Rochereau, featured speeches from Iranian Resistance figures and supporters and politicians from various countries.
Major demonstration in solidarity with #IranRevolution and honoring the legacy of #Iran's 1979 anti-monarchial revolution
Live – Paris Grand Rally – Place Denfert-Rochereau
Sunday, February 12 – 11:30 AMhttps://t.co/nX0oU6M07w
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) February 11, 2023
Speaking at the rally, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said, “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 dictatorship.”
Mrs. Rajavi stressed in her speech that there is no room for compromise with the regime, and those who still lay their hopes in the IRGC and the Basij are working against the interests of the revolution. She also said that so-called reformist figures who are now expressing the failure of reformism in the mullahs’ regime must reject “Khomeini’s usurpation of the Iranian people’s sovereignty and the hijacking of the revolution”; condemn the regime’s crimes, including the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners; and clarify their role in the suffering of the Iranian people.
Regarding global policy toward the regime, Mrs. Rajavi said, “It is time to embrace the realities of the world we live in. This is what our people, as well as ourselves, demand: 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 people of Iran demand and indispensable to promoting regional and global peace.”
It is time to end the era of granting concessions to the mullahs is over, Mrs. Rajavi stressed. “This is no time to cultivate constructive relationships with a regime that perpetuates atrocities through executions and massacres. Instead, it is imperative to extend sincere apologies to the people of Iran for past support of religious tyranny.
“The people of Iran have a fundamental right to reclaim their country from the shackles of religious fascism, and the valiant youth have the right to defend themselves against the IRGC, covert agents, and the barrage of bullets that pierce their eyes, heads, and hearts. The world must officially recognize these rights for the people of Iran.”
On the anniversary of the anti-monarchical revolution in light of the glorious uprising in Iran,& the continuous price being paid with lives on the streets the word REVOLUTION has emerged and triumphed braking the yokes of the Shah and the mullahs tyrannyhttps://t.co/YkmIVYKzMW
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) February 12, 2023
Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt said, “We commemorate the anniversary of the downfall of the Shah dictatorship, a bloody and corrupt dictatorship. This 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!’”
Betancourt stressed the need for a firm policy toward the regime. “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.
“We want a free Iran, for all Iranians, for all French people, and all Europeans. We fight for all the hostages. Our governments must acknowledge the transition to a democratic government led by Maryam Rajavi. The return to tyranny, whether another version of the mullahs’ regime or the Shah dictatorship, will be a betrayal to the people of Iran.”
.@IBetancourtCol: We commemorate the anniversary of the downfall of Shah's dictatorship. The democratic #IranRevolution was stolen by Khomeini, who replaced the Shah. Today, Protesters are chanting, “Death to the dictator, be it the Shah or the mullahs.”https://t.co/85sw9qkLhw
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 12, 2023
Belgian MEP and former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt also stressed the need for a firm policy and said, “Why are we still negotiating with Iran? Why do you think we can achieve a sustainable agreement with this unreliable interlocutor? If we reach a nuclear agreement with a regime that kills its citizens, it will be a green light for the regime to continue its crimes.
“The regime must be forced to release political prisoners and hostages without any concessions. Concessions will only encourage the regime to take more hostages. It is important for us to take control together and implement a plan that ensures freedom in Iran.”
John Bercow, the former Speaker of the UK House of Commons, stressed the importance of the rejection of both the mullahs and Shah dictatorships. “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. We know he was a corrupt killer. Corrupt in massive theft and killer in the execution of Iranians who simply wanted to be free. The Shah did not believe in democracy, freedom, the rights of media, the rights of women, or the rights of minorities. And it was because of his appalling record and his persistence and thuggery over decades that he was removed. That was the basis of what should have been a revolution by and for the people of Iran. But the ayatollahs hijacked that revolution. They twisted and distorted and perverted that revolution. They ruined that revolution.
“The monarchical despotism of the Shah gave way to and was replaced by the religious despotism of the ayatollahs. They do not believe in freedom. They do not believe in the rights of the media, the rights of women, and the rights of ethnic minorities. They are dictators every bit as much as the Shah was a dictatorship. We don’t want dictatorship for the people of Iran. We want democracy. We want freedom, the rule of law, respect for the media, equality for women, and the protection of the equal rights of minorities.”
John Bercow, ex-Speaker of the UK House of Commons: We are clear, meeting here, marking the 44th anniversary of the overthrow of the diabolical & despicable Shah, that we do not want to go back to that dictatorship under any circumstances.#IranRevolutionhttps://t.co/q7f4fE5Huv
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 12, 2023
Zinat Mirhashemi, Member of the NCRI and the Central Committee of the Cherik-Hay-E Fedaii Organization (OIPFG), said, “The goal of the 1979 revolution was to overthrow Shah’s dictatorship and install freedom and democracy. It was a victory for the people of Iran. But freedom was not able to triumph, and the struggle continued. We want to get rid of all types of discrimination. In this struggle, thousands of men and women sacrificed their lives. Unfortunately, the revolution was hijacked by the mullahs. They continued to cooperate with the SAVAK to suppress dissidents.
“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.”
