A significant conference took place in Paris to honor International Women’s Day. Candice Bergen, the former head of the Canadian Conservative Party, delivered a speech lauding the significant contributions of Iranian women to the Resistance movement and their efforts to counter the authoritarian rule in Iran.
Bergen praised Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), for her leadership in empowering and guiding other women to take on important roles in advocating for freedom, democracy, and equality in Iran.
Expressing strong condemnation for the oppressive practices, human rights abuses, and aggressive actions of the Iranian regime, Bergen called on the West to abandon the policy of appeasement, which has only served to embolden Tehran in its suppression and terrorist activities.
The full text of Candice Bergen’s speech can be found below:
Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you, Judy, so much. Judy and I did not compare notes, but you’re going to hear from my remarks that we are very much aligned, with our Canadian delegation, we’re very much aligned with our message.
First of all, thank you so much for having us. I love meeting and seeing my Iranian friends, whether from Canada or from around the world. You have such a beautiful spirit of joy and hope. There is no fear in this room. There is joy and hope, and it is beautiful, and it is infectious, so thank you for that.
Today is an incredible day as we’re leading up to International Day of Women to celebrate women and to celebrate today women who are at the forefront of the fight for democracy and freedom in Iran. And so, of course, we start today, so many of us are celebrating you, Madam Rajavi.
I have to tell you, I’ve heard you speak a number of times, but today I feel was one of the strongest speeches I’ve heard you deliver, and it was from your heart and from the way that you live. And so, thank you so much for that beautiful, beautiful speech.
It inspired us, and your leadership, your leadership is an inspiration to women and men. And I want to thank you for the way that you include men. We’re not saying women are against men in any way, shape, or form. We are together united for freedom, for democracy, for the values that we uphold, so thank you for that. Thank you for, and I’m celebrating today the women who are part of this movement, who have been put in positions of leadership by Madam Rajavi.
You have put these women in positions of leadership not just as tokens, not to check a box, not to fill a quota, but to provide real leadership and strong decision-making capabilities. And I happen to know, because sometimes we women are like this, we say, can we do this? I’m not sure if I’m the one that should do this. And you have said to these women, yes, you can, and I believe in you, and I’m going to mentor you.
And these women have risen up and provided such incredible leadership and servant leadership, and so I celebrate you today as well. And finally, and very importantly, I celebrate the women who are on the ground, and many of them are girls. Many of them are very young women who are in Iran right now. You know them.
I have not met them personally, but many of you know them, they’re your family members, they’re your friends’ family members, and they are literally sacrificing everything they have. And they are leading with love, they are not leading with fear or hatred, they are leading with bravery and hope.
And so, I salute them, and I just pray for their peace and their protection. So today is a day of celebration, but as Judy, my wonderful colleague, talked about, today is also a call for action. And my call for action is to these incredible women who are here with me. Many of you are on the front row, you’ve been invited as guests, and we are so honored and we feel so spoiled.
