came together in several cities around the world over the weekend to take part in a rally to commemorate the 1979 people’s uprising, which led to the overthrow of Shah Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi and removed the monarchy in Iran.

The MEK rallies were held in Brussels, Geneva, London, Oslo, Rome, Stockholm, Toronto, and Washington, DC. However, the gatherings were streaked with sadness that the people’s uprising was stolen by the mullahs, who created a dictatorship all of their own.

During these rallies, participants paid tribute to the fallen heroes of the MEK, especially those killed by the regime on February 8, 1982, which included acting commander in Tehran Moussa Khiabani, Ashraf Rajavi, and several others.

The MEK supporters also expressed solidarity with the Iranian people’s uprising and the anti-regime actions undertaken by the MEK Resistance Units in Iran. The demonstrators made it clear that the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which is the sole viable alternative to the mullahs’ regime, has their full support.

The MEK supporters also stressed their support for NCRI president-elect Maryam Rajavi, who said that the leaders of the mullahs’ regime should be considered criminals against humanity. She also urged that the international community send a delegation to Iran to investigate the fate of those arrested during the November and January uprisings and reveal the identities of the over 1500 protesters killed by the regime then.

To the Stockholm MEK rally, Rajavi sent a video message, in which she said: “The criminals in power in our country have a 40-year long record of corruption, untruthfulness, plunder, destruction, murder, the export of terrorism and misogyny. Your gathering today in Stockholm is yet another clear sign of the Iranian people’s unflawed resolve for putting an end to the anti-human regime of the mullahs.”

Also speaking at the rally were a number of Swedish members of parliament, Abolghassem Rezai, the deputy secretary of the NCRI, and Parviz Khazai, NCRI representative in Nordic countries.

At the Washington DC rally, which was held close to the White House, many Iranians gathered in support of the Iranian people’s uprising. They held banners that read, “Down with the oppressor, be it the Shah or Khamenei”, and echoed the voices of Iranians inside Iran who, during the November and January uprisings, compared the mullahs’ regime to the regime of the Shah.

The rally in Toronto, where the temperature was subzero, was followed by a march. The fact that so many MEK supporters came out is a testament to their support for the cause.

In London’s Trafalgar Square, the MEK supporters called on the Foreign Office to work with international allies to hold the Iranian regime to account for the murder of 1500 protesters and the brutal crackdown on the recent popular uprising.

Speakers at the rally included:

  • former Liberal Democrat MP Mark Williams
  • Conservative MP for Hendon, Matthew Offord
  • member of Law Society Council Sara Chandler

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Anti-Regime Rallies Around World