The former French Foreign Minister and co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontieres gave a rousing speech to the 2019 Free Iran rally in Ashraf 3, Albania, last July, praising the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) for their work to free Iran from the clutches of the mullahs.
In honor of next week’s Free Iran rally, which will be held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic, we wanted to revisit Dr. Bernard Kouchner’s speech.
Kouchner began by noting an important distinction between the Iranian people and the regime, reminding us that they are not their rulers. Indeed, the Iranian people seek a democracy based on free and fair elections, universal suffrage, individual freedoms for all, the rule of law, the separation of religion and state, adherence to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, peaceful foreign policy, and the removal of nuclear weapons. He asked, quite rightly, who would oppose such a state, except those who benefit from the regime’s warmongering and terrorism?
He highlighted that some in the West believe, wrongly, that the Iranian people support the mullahs, but that nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, if it was true, why would the regime spend so much time and money to demonise the MEK and punish peaceful protesters.
Kouchner said: “We are ready to deliver these people off this awful religious system. We are not against religion but we are against using religion to kill the people. We are absolutely against that sort of false democracy [used] to kill and to support and to torture and to all they did that in the name of religion. Religion is something completely different. Religion is certainly also the liberation of the people.”
In conclusion, Kouchner said that he was sorry that he did not have enough time to talk enough about his “deep admiration” for Madame Maryam Rajavi, the leader of the Iranian Resistance.
He said: “You are obstinate, you are persistent, you are a fantastic model for the women of the world. Please go up, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Talking about only to talk and to deliver, to talk and say that (the) inequality in the Iranian women and the Iranian men is a fantastic revolutionary word, so thank you very much and we are completely with you to support such a fantastic program. Thank you much.”
This year’s Free Iran rally will take place online on Friday, July 17.
