Munich, Germany—February 17, 2023: A grand rally of freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the Iranian Resistance (NCRI and MEK) was held at Max-Jozef-Platz, in front of the security conference in Munich.
The rally was attended by several German Parliament members and political personalities who addressed supporting the Iranian people’s demands for freedom and democracy.
This rally indicates the growing international support for the nationwide Iranian uprising against the religious dictatorship and the Iranian Resistance.
Freedom-loving Iranians came together in the grand rally of Munich to show solidarity with the brave protesters on the streets of Iran for a democratic and secular republic.
An excerpt from the speeches of this great gathering is as follows:
Vida Niktalean
The protests and the activities of the Resistance Units are calling for the rejection of the Shah and the mullahs in Iran. The NCRI is declaring their principle to reject any form of dictatorship.
This is why we have gathered here today, and this is why our common slogan is the rejection of the mullahs and the Shah dictatorship.
Leo Dautzenberg, Chair of DSFI, former Member of German Bundestag
The uprising is in its sixth month. We see ourselves as part of this uprising. Its goals are freedom, democracy, separation of state and religion, and a democratic republic. In the past five months, more than 700 protesters, including children, have been killed. More than 30,000 protesters were arrested. There has been a decades-long resistance against this regime.
The regime executed more than 30,000 political prisoners in 1988. The commitment to freedom and democracy should not be forgotten. We should support the goals of Iranians. This is a struggle by many ethnic groups in Iran.
The regime claims there is no opposition inside Iran. If this is true, why is it using brutal force inside Iran. It is important that the first article in Mrs. Rajavi’s ten-point plan calls for the establishment of a republic based on universal suffrage and popular vote. Protesters are saying yes to republic, no to autocracy. They’re saying no to the mullahs’ rule and the Shah’s dictatorship. The regime is trying to present the son of the Shah as an acceptable option.
Iranians have the experience of the 1979 revolution, which ousted the Shah and brought Khomeini to power. At the time, Khomeini promised not to seek power and leave it to the people to choose. But we know that he seized power when he came to Iran. Reza Pahlavi has also made similar moves. He claims not to want power, but he has already sworn an oath of being the King of Iran. And he has even declared his heir.
The crimes of the SAVAK are well-known. The Shah was rejected by vote in 1979. Pahlavi has never condemned the crimes of the SAVAK and the Shah’s regime. This is dangerous. This is why the participation of the Shah’s son at the Munich Security Conference is a dangerous decision and welcomed by the regime. It distracts discussions focused on unity and solidarity for freedom.
We must also beware of the Iranian regime’s propaganda operations, especially its online campaigns.
The people of Iran deserve freedom.
Katrin Bornmüller, Honorary President of the International Society for Human Rights Organization
This regime must be annihilated. The people of Iran are striving for freedom.
Dr. Karin Schnebel, Women’s Representative in the Munich City Hall
Since the uprisings began in Iran, we have seen a crackdown inside the country. Hundreds of people have been killed, including minors. Thousands of people have been arrested. Many have been tortured behind bars. The people’s struggle for freedom has been suppressed.
The revolution in Iran has been in full force. There is a lot of hope and a bright future on the horizon to achieve liberty and end dictatorship. We declare our solidarity with the people of Iran. We empathize with you, those who have lost children, parents. We show our compassion with the people who have loved ones in Iran.
Women are forced to wear the hijab. Women are struggling and fighting the dictatorship. People are dying to achieve what we have here. Executions are happening every day. This is what’s happening in this country in the 21st century. In Germany, we are free to express ourselves. Things like hijab should be people’s choice.
But it’s not just about wearing a hijab. This is just one example of the freedom that the people are deprived of. It is a system that is enforcing its rule on the people in the smallest details of their lives. There is no rule of law and no sovereignty of the people. We are fighting for a secular regime. Only a secular state can bring these freedoms.
We are responsible to guide the policies of the German government. We must do everything to defend human rights inside Iran. This means a clear foreign affairs policy that helps the human rights infrastructure inside Iran. Iranians wish to have a pluralistic republic where every citizen’s vote counts. A society where there is freedom of choice and religion. Freedom is universal.
Marcin Święcicki, former Mayor of Warsaw and Minister of Foreign Economic Relations of Poland
This is not the first time that Iran’s people are fighting for freedom. This struggle has lasted for more than 40 years. The mullahs took control after the overthrow of the Shah’s regime. They executed more than 30,000 political prisoners in 1988. Some of the murderers are holding senior positions in Iran. This cannot be accepted.
It is not surprising that the criminal regime of Kremlin has a new ally in Iran’s regime. Iran is supplying Russia with ammunitions and drones. We have to stop this.
We have sometimes been told that there is no alternative to the mullahs in Iran. But we have one: the NCRI led by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, with a ten-point plan that will bring democracy, rule of law, separation of state and religion, and a peaceful country.
There is a plan. If the West wants Iran to be democratic, we should support Maryam Rajavi. We should support those who are fighting for a democratic Iran, not those who want to restore the monarchy or keep the mullahs in power. May the democratic revolution be victorious.
Mohammad Ali Tohidi, Chair of the NCRI Publication Committee
We are here to echo the voice of the people of Iran, who have struggled for a hundred years against the mullahs and the monarchical tyranny to achieve a free and independent Iran. We are here to echo the voice of the rebellious youth, who have been struggling in the streets, in universities, in cemeteries, everywhere, despite the people who are saying to stop the radical struggle against the regime.
In these five months, our nation has shown the real face of a true revolution after 44 years. It has proven itself to all those who are against regime change in Iran. We have gathered to say that the people of Iran will not compromise on the ouster of the mullahs and the Shah’s regime. Five years ago, former Iranian regime foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif came here to whitewash the terror plot of his regime at this conference. He was asked why his embassies were plotting terrorism. He said it was rogue elements and the MEK themselves. It eventually became clear that the bombing plot was planned inside Tehran and the bomb itself came from inside Iran in a diplomatic pouch. They wanted to blow it up in Paris at the rally of the Iranian Resistance in Paris. A court ruled that the terrorist diplomat who plotted the bombing will be sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Now in the same conference, they are not willing to face the will of the resistance. They don’t dare invite regime President Ebrahim Raisi or Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi. But they have invited the offspring of the Shah. This invitation is of the same kind of appeasement that preserves the regime. The monarchy was ousted four decades ago. Now it is trying to return. Have we witnessed the return to monarchy in other countries that deposed it?
This is a person that has not distanced himself from the crimes of the Shah or even the regime. He has been in touch with the IRGC and regime officials. He believes the Basij and IRGC are the main forces who will protect the people.
Was the invitation of Zarif, who whitewashed the Iranian regime’s terror plot, not similar to the invitation of Reza Pahlavi? It is shameful. It is a disgrace. Instead of focusing on these disgraceful acts, we will rely on our own strength and steadfastness, and push forward for the victory of Iran’s revolution.
120,000 have been martyred to realize this victory. All of you have struggled and suffered. You have shown that you are determined to bring about the change we have been fighting so long for.
Jean Pierre Brard, former Member of the French National Assembly
The day of freedom is nearing. The ten-point plan provides a perspective of Iran for freedom and democracy. Men and women have freedom to choose their life, training, education, and culture. Thanks to the courage of the Iranians and the resistance movement, the mullahs will soon disappear from Iran. But the fight must continue. States that have been complacent with the tyranny of the mullahs must change their policies.
States only have interests. Human rights are their pretext. They have hidden goals. They are concerned about their interests in Iran’s future. What are their interests? Not democracy. They are interested in the wealth of Iran. That is why there is a lot going on about other alternatives to the regime. They are preparing to support a new regime. They do not want to meet the Iranian people’s needs, but rather plunder Iran’s wealth for themselves. All these businesses are closely linked. Candidates are already on the table, including the son of the Shah.
Last week in Paris, monarchists held a rally. In Washington, they held another conference. They have plundered Iran for the past century. The people of Iran have not suffered so much to endure this alternative. The martyrs did not give up their lives to satisfy the greed of others. The NCRI has a plan that is loyal to the current revolution in Iran, to overthrow the dictatorship, and establish a democratic Iran.
We must stand with the people of Iran and our Iranian friends.
Dr. Michael Meister, Member of the German Bundestag
This is an uprising for the rights of all people across Iran. It is supported by all people. It deserves our solidarity. We have freedom and democracy here. The people of Iran who are demonstrating deserve to have these rights, to express their opinion, to assemble, and to hold rallies. These are universal rights for all people.
The regime of Khamenei is using brutal repression against the protesters. This regime is suppressing the people. It disregards human rights. We all know that many people were killed and injured in these protests. Many were arrested. We in Germany must stand with the protesters. The regime must be prevented to take actions against the protesters and to suppress the people.
I support more severe sanctions against the regime. The terrorist designation of this regime’s entities is vital. I admire the bravery of the people who come to the streets. They deserve our support.
Iran deserves the rule of law. This is not what it has right now. The nuclear deal did not yield the results it had promised. I hope we will succeed in preventing the spread of nuclear weapons by the regime.
Dr. Massoumeh Bolurchi, NCRI Representative in Germany
The people of Iran are calling for regime change and a democratic republic with the slogans of “Death to Khamenei!” and “Death to the oppressor, whether it be the Shah or the mullahs!” They have clearly stated that they will oppose any dictatorship, including the return of the Shah’s dictatorship.
Our country is at the verge of a fundamental change with the leadership of women. There is a bright future for Iran, especially with the ten-point plan of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi. There is no doubt that this uprising is not happenstance. It is rooted in four decades of resistance by the bravest and selfless freedom fighters.
The Iranian Resistance has for many years called for the terrorist designation of the IRGC. We repeat it today. The EU must proscribe the IRGC and shut down the regime’s espionage centers, being its embassies. The regime’s agents must be expelled from European soil.
It is a disgrace for the Munich Security Conference to invite a person who has inherited his fame from the crimes of his father, the Shah. His entourage are criminals and torturers like Parviz Sabeti. He openly calls for cooperation with the IRGC and the regime. This will only give the mullahs another excuse to suppress the uprising.
The people of Iran and the Resistance Units will rely on themselves for the future of Iran. They will not allow the repeat of what Khomeini did to the 1979 revolution.
Hanif Mahoutchian, Legal Advisor of the JU-Hamburg
We honor the martyrs of Iran’s Revolution and all the freedom fighters who have laid down their lives in the past century. Forty four years after the revolution was hijacked by Khomeini, those powers are trying to repeat the same scenario and replace the clerical dictatorship with monarchical tyranny. The people of Iran will not allow this.
Whatever the media try to promote fake alternatives, the true face of the Iranian revolution is different. The people of Iran are relaying their own message to the world. They are chanting against the Basij and the IRGC and rejecting them.
The son of the Shah openly expresses support for the IRGC and the Quds Force. But even today, the people of Zahedan are chanting that we don’t want the mullahs or the Shah.
This fake alternative has nothing to do with the reality that is taking place inside Iran. The Shah’s son is an insult to the struggle of the Iranian people. After 120 years of fighting dictators, the people will not allow the Shah to hijack their revolution.
Pegah Jahanmiri
The values of this movement are unprecedented. Maryam Rajavi has made great sacrifices. Thousands follow her. For months, the people of Iran are in the streets to achieve what they deserve. We must support their rights. They are risking their lives to achieve freedom and democracy. Iran has struggled for a century to obtain the freedoms that are available across the world.
Killing protesters and opposition members are the regime’s order of the day. Our generation is saying no to the clerical dictatorship. We are seeing fake alternatives composed of celebrities and football players. They are detracting the protests from their true path.
We are asking the Munich Security Conference to pay attention to the real demands of the people of Iran. Supporting this regime is a betrayal of the desires of the people of Iran and the protesters who were killed by the security forces.
Oleksiy Goncharenko, Vice President of the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons, Ukrainian MP
We are fighting for all the free people of the world. We will not stop until we defeat this evil. We will not stop. Some are saying we can still do business with Iran, with Belarus, and with Putin. The result is that they became strong, launched an attack, and are killing people today. Tyrants are maniacs. They will only be stopped by the people, by strength, and by force. The free people must stand together.
Several months ago, an Iranian drone hit a building near my home in Odessa. We must fight against evil everywhere we see it. Iran deserves freedom. Ukraine deserves freedom. No negotiations with the regimes of Iran and Russia and Belarus.
The only way to treat them is how we treat terrorists. They must be removed and tried for their crimes. You know the price of freedom. We need to be strong and united.
Maliheh Malek Mohammadi
The brave uprising of our people is a revolution in the making to achieve a democratic republic. We are echoing the voices of the people of Baluchestan, Kurdistan, and all the people across Iran.
In recent months, German officials have repeatedly said that they are standing with the Iranian people. The head of the MSC said he will provide a stage for the representatives of the Iranian people. If that is what you want to do, have you been listening to the chants of the people of Zahedan who are shouting “Death to the oppressor, whether it is the Shah or the mullahs!”
The people of Iran reject any kind of dictatorship. Those who were loyal to the Shah’s dictatorship and those who are loyal to the current regime are rejected.
People like Parviz Sabeti tortured men and women in prisons. Interrogators like Sabeti executed many freedom fighters. The clerical regime continued the atrocities of the former dictator.
The women of MEK held their heads high and paid a heavy price to expose these fascist regimes. They did not bow to these regimes. The democratic revolution of our people is moving forward. The remnants of the Shah’s regime are trying to change the destiny of this revolution. But this revolution will lead to victory.
Bahram Mavaddat, NCRI member and former member of Iran’s national football team
Reza Pahlavi is the remnant of the monarchical dictatorship. He is an insult to the people of Iran. Inviting him to this conference is an insult to the suffering of the people of Iran. This invitation of Pahlavi is an insult to us Iranians. It does not reflect our wishes and our dreams for a free Iran. As Khamenei is trying to prolong his own rule, his atrocities are allowing the remnants of the former dictator to present themselves as the alternative.
The regime is trying to use this opportunity to intimidate protesters. If you believe that the people of Iran have suffered so much to pave the way for another dictator, you’re making a big mistake.
The slogan, “Death to the oppressor, be it the Shah or the mullahs’ is the true will of the people of Iran. The Shah was responsible for the deaths of many political prisoners and dissidents. Likewise, the mullahs’ regime has murdered thousands of dissidents, including hundreds of people in the streets in recent months.
