On September 6, 2025, Brussels witnessed an extraordinary demonstration as tens of thousands of Iranians and international supporters gathered at Atomium Square. Organized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and more than 300 Iranian communities worldwide, the rally marked the 60th anniversary of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), the principal opposition to Iran’s theocratic regime. Participants called for a secular, democratic, and non-nuclear Iran, while demanding firm international action against the clerical dictatorship.
The event featured keynote addresses by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, NCRI’s President-elect, alongside a distinguished roster of global dignitaries, including former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, former Speaker of the UK Parliament John Bercow, Belgian MEP Kris Van Dijck, former U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy, and former European Parliament Vice President Alejo Vidal-Quadras. Iranian activists from multiple generations also took the stage, representing a nationwide struggle for liberty.
#FreeIran2025 Onward to a Democratic Republic
Marking 60thfounding anniversary of the PMOI/MEK, and the Iranian people’s glorious resistance against two dictatorships of the Shah and the mullahs. #MEK60 #OurChoiceMaryamRajavi https://t.co/SrBI0iVLEa— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) September 6, 2025
Maryam Rajavi: Sixty Years of Uninterrupted Resistance
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the NCRI, delivered the keynote speech, paying tribute to six decades of unwavering struggle against two dictatorships—the Shah and the mullahs. “Sixty years without a single day or even an hour of pause,” she said, emphasizing that the PMOI has endured torture, executions, prisons, and relentless demonization.
Declaring that “the Shah fell, and the mullahs will fall as well,” she underlined the movement’s ultimate goal: “We want nothing for ourselves. We seek only freedom and the transfer of sovereignty to the people of Iran.” She stressed that there is an alternative — “well-organized, fully prepared, and perfectly qualified.”
Mrs. Rajavi reaffirmed the NCRI’s vision for a free Iran: a democratic republic, gender equality, separation of religion and state, abolition of the death penalty, and adherence to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Highlighting women’s leadership as the backbone of the struggle, she called it “a new model for equality and the foundation for the Iran of tomorrow.”
She urged the international community to blacklist the IRGC as a terrorist organization, enforce UN resolutions on the regime’s nuclear ambitions, and support the Resistance Units inside Iran. Concluding with a rallying cry, Rajavi declared, “The time for uprising has arrived. You will ignite the uprising. You will liberate Iran. It can be done — and it must be done.”
Voices of Global Leaders: From Solidarity to Strategy
Mike Pence: Hope for a Democratic Iran
Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence praised the PMOI’s endurance and Iran’s youth-led Resistance Units. “Sixty years ago, a movement was born deep in the hearts of the Iranian people,” he said. “Today, that movement — the PMOI — is stronger, more inspired, and more powerful than ever.”
Honored to Address Tens of Thousands at the #FreeIran2025 Rally in Belgium today! Thank You @Maryam_Rajavi and Freedom loving Iranians everywhere for your courageous stand for a Free and Democratic Iran. Friends of Freedom Around the World Are With You! #BrusselsFreeIranRally pic.twitter.com/P7g1er0gO2
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) September 6, 2025
Delivering a heartfelt message to Iranians inside the country, he affirmed: “You are not alone. You are not forgotten. The day of your freedom is closer than ever. The free world stands with you for a democratic, secular, non-nuclear Iran.” Pence underscored that the greatest threat to the regime is not foreign governments but “the Iranian people themselves.”
Guy Verhofstadt: A New European Policy
Former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt condemned Europe’s “policy of appeasement,” which he said has only emboldened the regime. “The fact that the mullahs’ regime still survives shows the failure of the West’s strategy,” he declared. He proposed three urgent steps: designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, expand sanctions on regime leaders, banks, and oil sectors, and begin structured dialogue with the democratic opposition using Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan as the foundation.
John Bercow: Freedom Over Tyranny
Former Speaker of the UK Parliament John Bercow rejected both clerical and monarchical dictatorship. Calling the belief that “there is no alternative” an “abominable insult,” he insisted: “The alternative is not appeasement, not war — the alternative is freedom.” He dismissed any return to monarchy: “We don’t mean some baby Shah. We don’t mean some clown prince… Not needed, not wanted, not of any use whatsoever.” He praised Rajavi’s lifelong dedication, pledging, “For as long as I have breath in my lungs, I will support the cause of freedom for Iran.”
Kris Van Dijck: Europe Must Act
Belgian MEP Kris Van Dijck lauded the courage of the Iranian people and condemned hostage diplomacy. “The policy of Flanders and Belgium is clear: no more hostage diplomacy, and we are pushing the EU to blacklist the IRGC as a terrorist organization,” he said. Calling for the release of political prisoners and an end to executions, he emphasized, “Nothing is as strong as the will of the people.”
Patrick Kennedy: Human Rights Above All
Former U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy honored the sacrifices of the PMOI, sending a heartfelt message to members of Ashraf 1, 2, and 3. “Every single year, MEK members have been tortured, jailed, and murdered — but have they stopped? No, they haven’t,” he said. Drawing parallels to history, he echoed his uncle President John F. Kennedy’s iconic Berlin speech: “President Kennedy said, ‘Ich bin ein Berliner.’ Today, as his nephew, I proudly say, ‘Man Irani hastam’ — I am Iranian.”
Alejo Vidal-Quadras: The Heartbeat of a Nation
Former European Parliament Vice President Alejo Vidal-Quadras, himself a survivor of a Tehran-backed assassination attempt, praised the NCRI and PMOI: “You are not a fringe, you are not a faction. You are the voice of millions of Iranians. You are the heartbeat of a nation.” Declaring the rally a “living referendum,” he vowed to remain “a proud soldier in your ranks under the banner of Maryam Rajavi, all the way to a free Iran.”
Voices from the Movement: A Multigenerational Struggle
Young activist Andrin Mohseni celebrated the PMOI’s resilience: “Mohammad Hanifnejad was only 27 when he founded the PMOI. Sixty years later, the organization is stronger than ever.” He addressed the Resistance Units: “Your defiance shakes the regime and honors the martyrs.”
Farzaneh Hosseini shared her family’s sacrifices — two uncles tortured under the Shah and killed by the mullahs, an aunt murdered in the Camp Ashraf massacre — affirming, “Under Maryam Rajavi’s motto, ‘We can and we must,’ generations of women have risen to challenge the world’s most misogynistic regime.”
Vida Niktalean, representing the generation of the 1979 revolution, declared, “Our fiery demarcation of ‘Neither the Shah nor the Mullahs’ began with our generation under the guidance of Massoud Rajavi,” concluding with the powerful chant: “Death to the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Supreme Leader!”
A Turning Point for Iran’s Future
The Brussels rally was more than a commemoration; it was a declaration of determination. With a clear democratic alternative in the NCRI and the Ten-Point Plan, a growing network of Resistance Units inside Iran, and international support from political leaders across the globe, the message was unequivocal: The Iranian people reject all forms of dictatorship and are ready to establish a free, secular, democratic republic.
As Maryam Rajavi declared to a roaring crowd: “Uprising and overthrow are on the way. You will ignite the uprising. You will liberate Iran. It can be done — and it must be done.”
