The Statement adds: “Ayatollah Ahmad Alam-Al Hoda, the Friday Prayer Leader in the city of Mashhad, where the mass protests began on Thursday 28th December, said: “Is it proper that the Monafeqin (the regime’s pejorative description of the Mujahedin-e Khalq, MEK or PMOI), who are the mercenaries of America and Europe and whose leader is a … woman, to come and say that she thanks you? …. Now, the Imam of Age (the twelfth Shi’ite Imam), his representative {Khamenei] and all Hezbollahis are angry that a woman, who is the leader of the Monafeqin, would say I thank you!” The Ayatollah was, of course, referring to Mrs Rajavi and the fact that she had thanked and congratulated the people of Mashhad and cities throughout Iran for rising up against the corruption and oppression of the clerical regime.”

“The fascist mullahs are deeply concerned at the mass street protests. They have plundered the Iranian people’s resources to finance brutal conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon, while they live in supreme luxury themselves. Meanwhile the people are faced with spiraling costs and dire living conditions. Tens of thousands of ordinary Iranian civilians, including huge numbers of women and young people, have bravely taken to the streets, shouting ‘Death to Rouhani’, ‘Death to Khamenei’, ‘Down with the Dictator’, ‘Free Political Prisoners in Iran’ and other anti-government and political slogans.”

He added “The mullahs, fearful that their repressive rule is about to crumble, have mobilized huge numbers of police and security forces to put down the rebellion, but the people have courageously marched on, often calling to the police to arrest the ‘thieves’ who control Iran. It is clear that these protests, the most significant for ten years, are an indication that the beleaguered Iranian people are fed up with the turbaned tyrants who have allowed their country to become an international pariah, exporting terror worldwide and fomenting sectarian conflict throughout the Middle East.

Stevenson emphasizes, “The corrupt Ayatollahs are right to identify the PMOI and Mrs. Rajavi as the main threat to their continued tyrannical rule. As the most formidable and best-equipped democratic opposition movement, the PMOI is poised to restore order and call democratic elections whenever the mullahs are driven from office. The massive street protests now spreading like wildfire across Iran show that the downfall of this evil regime is imminent.”

In a very strongly worded message goes on to call on EU members: “It is time the EU stopped its wretched, handwringing policy of appeasement to one of the most repressive regimes in the world. Instead, Europe must now demonstrate solidarity with the 80 million Iranian citizens who are struggling to overthrow the fascist clerical regime and replace it with a modern, democratic government, able to restore freedom, justice, women’s rights and human rights, while abolishing the death penalty, torture and the export of terror and conflict.”

In similar move, EP Vice- President Ryszard Czarnecki issued the following press release on 31 Dec 2017
“The heroic people of Iran are demonstrating against the religious dictatorship. They have had enough of the high costs of living, government corruption and dreadful living conditions. They are shouting Death to Khamenei, Death to Rouhani, Down with the Dictator, Free Political Prisoners in Iran….

As Vice-President of the European Parliament, I express my full solidarity with the people of Iran who want a regime change. The Iranian opposition under the leadership of Ms. Maryam Raja vi have called for these protests to continue. This uprising which began in Mashhad on Thursday 28 December has now extended to other big cities and tens of thousands of Iranians, especially the younger generation and women, are at the forefront of these protests.

The Iranian regime, in a desperate move has organized a rally against the PMOI opposition movement and had called for more executions. This is unacceptable for us. We strongly condemn the regime’s behavior. The European Union must condemn the violent reaction of the Iranian regime’s security forces and the IRGC against the demonstrators.

Also, Gérard Deprez MEP, the President of Friends of a Free Iran in the European Parliament in a separate statement on 30 December 2017 called on “the EU High Representative Ms. Mogherini and the European governments to publicly express solidarity with the current uprising of the Iranian people and to strongly condemn the brutal reaction of the Iranian government and the security forces against the peaceful demonstrators.”

The full text of his statement is as follow:

“On behalf of Friends of a Free Iran in the European Parliament, I wish to salute the people of Iran who started protesting against the high costs and terrible living conditions. This great uprising, which began in Mashhad, Iran’s second biggest city, on Thursday 28 December, is continuing and spreading to all over Iran. Many people our shouting Down with the Dictator, Free Political Prisoners, Long Live Freedom,…

“My colleagues and I in the European Parliament have been campaigning for a free, secular Iran for many years and there is a lot of sympathy in our Parliament for the Iranian democratic opposition under the leadership of Madam Maryam Rajavi who was our guest speaker, a few weeks ago on 6 December in Brussels.

“It was interesting to note that some senior leaders of this regime, including the Friday Prayer leader of Mashhad, have blamed the PMOI for leading this uprising. This shows once again that Mrs. Rajavi and her movement are most feared by the mullahs and are the alternative to this religious dictatorship.

“I call on the EU High Representative Ms. Mogherini and the European governments to publicly express solidarity with the current uprising of the Iranian people and to strongly condemn the brutal reaction of the Iranian government and the security forces against the peaceful demonstrators.”