Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), participated in a conference at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday, November 22. The conference was chaired by Javier Zarzalejos, the co-chair of the Friends of a Free Iran intergroup, and attended by dozens of representatives from various political groups, along with their assistants.
At the @Europarl_EN, Strasbourg
Conference: #Iran, domestic repression, belligerence and terrorism abroad#BlacklistIRGC pic.twitter.com/YPF3rTmKKi— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) November 22, 2023
Below is the full text of her speech:
Maryam Rajavi: The only way to stop the war and crisis, is standing up against the main instigator of the war, the Iranian regime
I am delighted to be here with you at the House of European Democracy.
I was deeply touched by Mr. Vidal-Quadras’s courageous and inspiring message. As always, resilient and steadfast in his support for the cause of freedom in Iran with an exceptionally high morale.
He was supposed to be with us today. He believed this was a timely meeting in a critical moment. With his message, he is here among us, more than any other time.
On behalf of the Iranian people, I salute Professor Alejo Vidal Quadras, a leading voice against appeasement, who warned about the threat posed by “the world’s most criminal regime.” A man who played a crucial role in the leadership of this parliament for 15 years as its first Vice President.
Today, Professor Alejo Vidal-Quadras stands as Europe’s awakened conscience protesting against religious fascism.
The mullahs tried to assassinate him. We pray for his speedy recovery.
Freedom-loving Iranians prayed for him in churches in Europe and around the world, the PMOI members did the same at the mosque at Ashraf-3, and the Resistance Units did so inside Iran. People in Spain rallied outside the hospital, chanting, “Vidal, the hero.”
It became evident how much the regime fears the stances adopted by Prof. Vidal.
Qudras, the leading voice against appeasement
While European governments were appeasing the central banker of terrorism, Dr. Vidal-Quadras said NO to religious fascism.
When the PMOI was labeled a terrorist group at behest of the mullahs, he fought with everything in his power to remove this designation.
He played a critical role in the relocation of members of the Iranian Resistance from Iraq to Europe when, as part of the regime’s plans, they had been trapped in a killing-field, called Camp Liberty.
Mr. Vidal’s words still echo from the conference in Brussels last September, when he strongly criticized the appeasement policy by saying, “Let me say to you, and very loud. This is a wrong policy, wrong and cowardly, wrong and shameful, wrong and useless, wrong and counterproductive.”
This brilliant record and bold stances explain the clerical regime’s hysterical animosity toward him.
Last year, the mullahs’ regime placed Prof. Vidal-Quadras on the top of its blacklist.
While being taken to hospital, he pointed out, “I have no doubt that the Iranian regime is behind this crime… I have no other enemy but the Iranian regime.”
Of course, this crime is similar to the Iranian regime’s terrorist acts and abductions over the past years in Europe. In many instances, the regime carries out its terrorist schemes in European countries by hiring criminal gangs.
On May 31 and June 11, 2023, the regime hired criminal gangs to open fire on and set fire to a building belonging to supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), in north Paris.
While the regime’s belligerence has engulfed the Middle East, its terrorism has jeopardized the security of European politicians and citizens.
Nevertheless, the bullet that struck Mr. Vidal-Quadras in the face was a disgrace to the policy of appeasing Khamenei.
This crime is the outcome of handing over the regime’s imprisoned terrorist-diplomat in Belgium, and tolerating the presence of the network of agents and spies from the mullahs’ Intelligence Ministry in Europe.
Indeed, isn’t it a proven fact that the regime’s embassies in Europe serve as its command headquarters for terrorism? Then, why have European governments failed to shut down those embassies?
Religious fascism, the epicenter of exporting terrorism and warmongering
Dear friends,
Today, the Middle East is on fire. I’ve come here with a clear message that there is only one path to stop this disaster and that is standing against the primary cause of this conflict, which is the warmongering dictatorship ruling Iran.
Since October 7, the world has witnessed the carnage and the abduction of civilians, bombings, extensive loss of life, and forced displacement of people. These incidents have outraged people around the world, who demand a halt to this death and destruction. But how can one stop this catastrophe? And more importantly, how can one prevent the repetition of such disasters?
As I just mentioned, the only solution is for the world to stand firm against the main sponsor of this conflict. The slaughter of innocent civilians on all sides benefits Khamenei and his Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Indeed, the head of the snake is in Tehran, the epicenter of terrorism and warmongering.
While all indications point to the regime’s full-fledged role in the current war and crisis, and the Iranian regime officials talk about the existence of a joint operation room with their mercenary and proxy groups at the highest levels, the European Union and the United States governments claim no knowledge of Tehran’s direct involvement in the conflict and its ensuing crisis. Such positions encourage Khamenei to further fuel the conflict.
When Khamenei ordered the attack, he had already accepted its massive casualties.
Protesters slain in the November 2019 uprising
There is a 44-year history to these criminal actions.
In Iran, Khamenei and his accomplices carried out the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in a short period in the summer of 1988 based on a fatwa issued by Khomeini. They executed 120,000 political opponents.
In November 2019, the regime’s security forces murdered 1,500 protesters on Khamenei’s order. Six days ago, was the anniversary of this major uprising against the clerical regime. We salute the proud souls that laid down their lives during the November 2019 uprising.
Dear friends,
To guarantee its own survival, from the outset, the clerical regime has relied on the suppression of the Iranian people and on war and terrorism against the international community.
This regime is the main enemy of the Palestinian people and their only legitimate representative, the Palestinian Authority.
It has attempted many times to assassinate Palestinian leaders, including President Mahmoud Abbas.
The clerical regime is the enemy of peace and it uses all its power to obstruct a lasting and just peace.
If it were not for this regime, there would be no war in Yemen today; the killing and destruction in Syria would not have happened; Iraq would not have been a haven for Shiite and Sunni fundamentalists such as ISIS; and the current ongoing conflict would not have happened.
For the past two decades, we have repeatedly emphasized that the danger of the regime’s warmongering in the Middle East is a hundred times greater than the danger of its ambitions to obtain a nuclear bomb.
For years, we have been saying that to achieve peace and tranquility, the tentacles of this belligerent regime must be cut-off from across the region.
Instead of these measures, they removed the IRGC’s para-military mercenaries from their terror lists. They lifted the arms embargo on the regime, and opened its way to deliver weapons to these proxies. The outcome of these actions is clear.
Listen to the regime’s foreign minister who clearly says that their hands are on the triggers. Yes, wherever you put out the fire, this criminal regime will ignite and fuel it in another place, an action that is inherent to the clerical regime.
The right policy against the clerical regime’s belligerence
I, therefore, repeat: The head of the snake is in Tehran, the epicenter for export of terrorism and warmongering. We must stand up against it, but the question is how?
To adopt the right policy, urge your governments to
• Place the IRGC on the terrorist list according to the EP resolution of January 19, 2023.
• Shut down the regime’s embassies in Europe.
• Expel the regime’s agents and spies from European institutions.
• Restore the UN Security Council’s six resolutions, consistent with Resolution 2231 and re-impose the sanctions against the clerical regime. Trigger the snapback mechanism to prevent petro dollars from pouring into the coffers of Khamenei and the IRGC.
• Recognize the Iranian people’s struggle for the regime’s overthrow and the young people’s fight against the IRGC.
• Ali Khamenei, Ebrahim Raisi, Gholam Hossein Ejeii, and other regime leaders must face justice for genocide and crimes against humanity.
And the final word: This regime must be declared as an immediate threat to global peace and security under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.
Dear friends,
Today, on behalf of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the only democratic alternative to the clerical regime, I join you, the honorable members of the European Parliament, to call on the world to confront the mullahs’ terrorism and warmongering and stand with the Iranian people and their organized Resistance for freedom and a democratic republic.
Thank you all very much.
Thank you Mr. Chairman. Dear friends and representatives,
Thank you for sharing your valuable opinions and views.
For more than 20 years, the inter-parliamentary group of Friends of a Free Iran has been active in the European Parliament to support the Iranian people and Resistance. Today, it is jointly chaired by the honorable members of the European Parliament, Mr. Javier Zarzalejos and Mr. Milan Zver. They have had many parliamentary resolutions and statements condemning the Iranian regime and urging respect for human rights, and condemnation of the regime’s death sentences and repression in Iran.
They issued calls to boycott the clerical regime, shut down their embassies, and blacklist the IRGC. Their voice of support for the Iranian people’s uprisings in 2019 and 2022 has been remarkable.
This is why the majority of members of the European Parliament are always very active and committed to supporting the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom and democracy. And for that, I am very grateful to them.
I am grateful for their support and initiatives to change the EP policy on the Iranian regime, for their courage and determination, and for their grim resolve and dedication to a steadfast struggle, which is today symbolized by Prof. Alejo Vidal Quadras.
In this meeting, we expressed our strongest feelings for him and I am sure he will receive our message.
We all know that there will be no regional peace and security and no democracy in Iran unless the head of the snake in Tehran is targeted and the clerical regime is overthrown.
The Iranian Resistance, our people in Iran, the rebellious youth, and the Resistance Units are strongly determined to bring freedom to Iran, and that day is not far.
