John Baird, Former Foreign Minister of Canada, addressed the first day of the Free Iran World Summit on July 1, 2023.
John Baird: The revolution that’s taking place across Iran right now is strong, and it’s very well organized.
The full-text speech of John Baird, Former Foreign Minister of Canada, follows:
The Iranian regime and the advocates of appeasement did everything they could to stop these events going on in Paris, but they failed! They failed because of the resilience of all of you, and they failed because of the strong leadership of Madam Maryam Rajavi.
This is bad for the regime, but it’s particularly bad for those who preach appeasement. And didn’t Speaker John Bercow call out appeasement?
You see, friends, the regime, and the mullahs fear that this event, and more importantly, the broader movement, is a clear acknowledgment that those in power know the NCRI is an alternative to this brutal regime. And all of the leadership in Tehran know that their day of reckoning is coming.
I’m so proud of the leadership of the Canadian government and our then Prime Minister Stephen Harper when he would cut off relations with Iran, and we kicked each and every one of the representatives of the mullahs out of our country.
Its support of terrorism, its nuclear program, and its abysmal and deteriorating human rights initiatives were too much to handle. We didn’t want to deal with them. We said enough is enough.
Now, Canada, unfortunately, in recent years, has felt the wrath of the Iranian regime’s terrorism support. The IRGC shot down Flight PS752 and brutally killed 85 of our fellow Canadians. We think of them, we think of their loved ones today, we will not forget, and we certainly will not forgive.
I have a special message to those watching us inside of Iran and our friends at Ashraf 3. Freedom-loving people in every corner of this world are watching with tremendous admiration for your determination and for your persistence. We stand in solidarity with your great struggle.
They also see and despise the brutal crackdown led by the mullahs and the IRGC. The world has documented their violence and the atrocities that they have committed. There will be a day of reckoning and a day of accountability.
And whether it happened in 1988 or whether it happened last week, let’s be very, very clear that these evil monsters will face justice, especially someone named Ebrahim Raisi.
It is not, friends, it is not a question of whether it’s only a question of when this regime will fall. The resistance will win, a brighter day for the Iranian people is on the horizon and a new government will do great things for Iran and the Iranian people. It will rehabilitate and revitalize the economy and help lift the 80% of people living below the poverty line.
A new government will end the corruption, incompetence, graft, and theft of the nation’s resources. It will focus the great wealth of the nation to the benefit of the Iranian people.
The revolution that’s taking place across Iran right now is strong, and it’s very well organized. It’s happening because of the courage and the bravery of literally the thousands of Resistance Units in every corner and every town throughout Iran.
It’s happening not by accident, it’s happening because of the NCRI’s 10-point plan. And most importantly, it’s happening because of the leadership of an incredibly strong woman, my friend, Madam Maryam Rajavi.
You know, there was a debate in the Canadian Parliament after Rouhani was elected, and we said in Canada we didn’t recognize his government. And one opposition member of Parliament said, well there was a free and fair election, how can you possibly not recognize it?
Millions of Iranians went to the polls, and I said very directly that Canada will never recognize a fair election when women are not allowed to put their names on the ballot. This fight for freedom, and friends, this revolution will succeed. Thank you very much and God bless.
