The Daily Californian: Iran’s recent uprisings bring protest to UC Berkeley
By Staff
Daily Californian, a local magazine in Northern California covered a protest held by the Iranian American Community of Northern California or IACNorCal, in solidarity with the ongoing nationwide uprising in Iran. The Iranian American Community of Northern California supports People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), also known as the Mujahedin-e khalq or MEK, and the National Council of Resistance of Iran, NCRI.
The Daily Californian interviews several members of the Iranian American Community of Northern California. It supports the idea that Iran should be “a democratic secular republic” and believes it should take advantage of the United States’ freedom of speech to be the voice of the people of Iran
Hamid Azimi the spokesperson of the Iranian American Community of Northern California told the Daily Californian, “At the protest that Iran’s recent uprising was sparked about a week ago when the price of gasoline was tripled by the Iranian government. ”
“A nation that has been under a religious dictatorship for the last 40 years has now risen up to resist and ask for change,” Mr. Azimi told the Daily Californian during the protests in solidarity with Iran protests.
it is worth mentioning that the nationwide protests in Iran has spread to more than 179 cities in Iran. In a matter of days, about 450 people have been killed, 4,000 injured and 10,000 arrested.
The President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran Maryam Rajavi urged all compatriots on her Twitter account to commemorate the deaths and provide care and treatment to the wounded Iranians.
“Mrs. Rajavi has previously elaborated on a Ten point platform which offers a vision for a future Iran, according to The Iranian American Community of Northern California’s website” the report continued “The plan has 10 steps, which include the aim to achieve complete gender equality, the abolition of the death penalty and a nuclear-free Iran, among other goals.
Interviewng one of the The Iranian American Community of Northern California member Peymaneh Shafi the Daily Californian wrote, “According to Peymaneh Shafi, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s 10 point plan calls for basic human rights and is very progressive for a constitution.”
“I want (Iranians) to live in a peaceful society with its neighbors and be able to bring the Iranian people economic stability and grant a prosperous society,” Shafi told the Daily Californian at the protest.
“Campus graduate student Aydin Golabi, who also has family in Iran, said the inability to reach his family is a gross violation of human rights,” read the report.
In another part of its report the Daily Californian wrote, “According to Azimi, the rally is pushing to ensure that international organizations, such as the United Nations Security Council, take measurable actions to condemn the suppression in Iran and demand the release of the detainees.”
“We are confident that, with the uprising of people in Iran, now is the time that achieving the goal of democratic change in Iran is very realistic,” Mr. Azimi said at the protest.
