Former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives Patrick Kennedy joined the Online Free Iran Global Summit. In his remarks, Mr. Kennedy said, “The virus of religious fascism has made the people of Iran very sick and has cost millions of lives. It needs to be extinguished. We know the principles of the NCRI [National Council of Resistance of Iran] and MEK [Mojahedin-e Khalq also known as PMOI], and they will provide the vaccinations.”

The Iranian opposition coalition NCRI managed to hold this year’s annual gathering virtually on July 17. Given the novel coronavirus pandemic and its restriction, many dignitaries commended the NCRI’s ability and determination for connecting 30,000 locations to Ashraf-3, home to PMOI/MEK members.

Here is the speech of Mr. Kennedy: 

Hello, all my friends in Tirana in the new Ashraf. It is so good to be with you virtually. What a great inspiration you have all been in carrying on this message of freedom and hope because you have literally had to rebuild your culture and your home many times over in Iraq after the bombings in Iraq by the Iranian puppets.

And now that you are in Tirana, how beautiful it is that you are in Tirana, but the future Ashraf will be in Tehran. And that is where we will meet next time we have a meeting like this, provided we can extinguish the virus.

The virus of religious fascism has made the people of Iran very sick and has cost the lives of millions of Iranians. The virus of the mullahs of religious fascism needs to be extinguished.

Patrick Kennedy

And we know that the principles of Madame Rajavi, we know the principles of NCRI, MEK are those things that are going to provide that vaccination that is going to bring hope and a future to the people of Iran.

Because it is that ten-point plan, it is that inspired leadership of Madame Rajavi, that is really going to bring democracy, freedom, human rights, all of the things that are going to extinguish this awful, insidious virus of religious fascism and help replace it with the kind of society that will allow the great people of a historic civilization of Persia to thrive and to once again lead the world in literature, in art, in thought and democracy. And how great it is that we have an organization like NCRI and MEK that is helping to bring that day about.

I think it can be said for my generation, for the young people in Iran particularly, that their generation is the generation that is going to turn the page of this generation’s biggest test for freedom and that is whether we can push the mullahs into the dustbin of history and we can bring the great people of Iran back to the world stage and to bring not only their human rights back but in the process bring a great economy and a great power that will allow all of our world to flourish.

Because you see, this is not just a fight for Iranians and the Iranian diaspora, this is a fight of all human beings. Because as Martin Luther King said, a threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. And certainly, we know, as the leading state sponsor of terrorism that Iran [regime] is a threat to justice and peace and stability everywhere in the world.

And that is why it is so incumbent upon all of us who are gathered around the world in over 100 countries and 30,000 locations, that we join together. And it’s really the NCRI, MEK, that’s going to permit that day to come about where we can transition from this terrible period in history, which has been dominated by the Shah and been dominated by the mullahs who really extorted the people of Iran for their own personal gain, for us to go back to a time of a great civilization where people who are the most educated in the world came from Iran.

And so, I am so honored to be with all of you again as I have been so many times before. But let us make sure next time we get a vaccination. And when we get that vaccination and have NCRI and MEK and all of those who are fighting for freedom in Iran help to deliver it for the people of Iran for a free Iran, we will be able to meet in person in a new and free Iran. And we will go from Tirana to Tehran. And when we do, I join with all of my friends in saying that we’re all ready.