Message to Iranian demonstration in France on the anniversary of the 1979 anti-monarchical revolution

From the overthrow of Shah’s dictatorship to the uprising for a democratic republic

Greetings to all of you who are standing here in this cold weather.
For over 40 years, you have been present at any time and under any circumstances to convey the resounding NO of the Iranian people and the Resistance to religious fascism.
We are grateful to our European and French friends and dignitaries who have always defended the Iranian Resistance for freedom and democracy. My salute to each and every one of you.

Khomeini hijacked the 1979 Revolution

Dear compatriots,
On the anniversary of the anti-monarchical revolution, we are reminded of the recent glorious uprising and the blood that still flows from the bodies of the Iranian people. The word of REVOLUTION has triumphed and broken the yokes of the Shah and the mullahs, and it shines bright, fighting on, and determined to bring freedom to victory.

We pay tribute to the pioneers, trailblazers, and true leaders of the 1979 revolution, including Ayatollah Mahmoud Taleghani, Mohammad Hanifnejad, Saeed Mohsen, Ali Asghar Badizadegan, Bijan Jazani, Massoud Ahmadzadeh, Amir Parviz Pouyan, Shokrollah Paknejad, and the heroic women Azam Rouhi Ahangaran, Marzieh Oskouii, Fatemeh Amini, and Ashraf Rajavi. With their sacrifices, the Mojahedin and Fedayeen ingrained the fabric of Iranian society with the idea of regime change and revolution.
However, in the absence of the true leaders who had either been killed in the field or imprisoned, Khomeini hijacked the revolution. He refused to order the people to fight against the Shah’s dictatorship, but instead ordered the massacre of PMOI prisoners who stood their ground. Khomeini was the Shah’s actual heir and crown prince who elevated the legacy of crimes and atrocities of the Shah and his father to new heights.

As Massoud Rajavi, the leader of the Iranian Resistance, said, “What has happened to us is a result of the mullahs’ reactionary rule, not revolution. From the beginning, the issue was that the regressive regime masked itself as revolution. The measure of a revolution is freedom, sovereignty, and the people’s vote.”
It is ironic that many mullahs collaborated with the Shah and his notorious SAVAK when he was in power, and now that the mullahs are in power, the remnants of the Shah have taken the side of the mullahs’ notorious IRGC.
They openly state that the IRGC and Basij are “the prime force to guarantee Iran’s future security and stability.” They express their preference for the clerical dictatorship by saying, “If there were a choice between this regime and the PMOI, the people would most likely choose the mullahs.”

One can now discern the origin of assertions that the Mojahedin and the Iranian Resistance are bereft of social base and backing, despite having sacrificed 120,000 martyrs.
The historical hostility of the Shah and the Sheikh toward the Mojahedin, nationalist, patriotic, and progressive forces, and oppressed ethnic groups highlights their intrinsic unity.
A dictatorship is a dictatorship, whether with a turban or a crown. The same people who celebrated the ominous day of August 19, 1953, and the foreign coup against Dr. Mossadeq’s patriotic and democratic government now describe the day when they were thrown out of their royal palaces as an ominous day.
What is truly ominous is not the revolution, but the evil reactionary forces that praise the IRGC and the Basij.

The present moment is marked by a peculiar irony, as even the former regime President Mohammad Khatami has acknowledged that the path of reformism has reached an impasse. Meanwhile, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, who was once the Prime Minister under Khomeini, has proclaimed that the constitutional framework of the regime is now obsolete.

If you are sincere in your declarations, it is imperative that you reject the fount of corruption: Khomeini’s usurpation of the Iranian people’s sovereignty and the hijacking of the revolution. Furthermore, it is time to abandon the decades-old mantra of “death to the PMOI,” as they stand in stark opposition to the oppressive clerical regime. It is essential that you shed light on and condemn the 1988 massacre of the PMOI, and clarify your role in the suffering of the Iranian people and their children.
And what, then, is the genuine narrative? Following Khomeini’s death, we witnessed the reactionaries and foreign powers exerting their utmost efforts to portray Rafsanjani as a moderate, in a bid to preserve the status quo and uphold the regime. However, the Iranian Resistance proclaimed at the time that the essence and character of the regime remained unchanged.

Subsequently, the agents and henchmen of the Ministry of Intelligence transformed themselves into champions of reform, civil society, culture, and dialogue between civilizations overnight.
Once again, the Iranian Resistance emphasized that this regime was beyond reform. In reality, the facade of reform was merely a safety valve to preserve the regime.

Let us examine the present state of affairs. Which faction was the instigator and driving force behind the rallies calling for the return of the monarchy, reflected in the slogan of “Reza Shah, Rest in Peace”? It is widely known that such rallies served as a safety valve for the regime, aimed at dividing, undermining, and diverting the uprising.
However, as the uprising gained momentum and adopted a more radical stance in September, those slogans dissolved like snow and were replaced by the fearless youths and the masses of the people shouting, “Death to the oppressor, whether it be the Shah or Khamenei.”

Dear compatriots!
We find ourselves in the midst of a new democratic revolution, where our people strive for a democratic republic free from torture, violence, oppression, and dependency. Let us remember that dictatorship, whether draped in a turban or a crown, remains dictatorship.
And let us not forget that plunder, whether committed by Khamenei’s Setad or the Barekat Foundation, or by Reza Shah who forcibly seized the lands and villages of our country, or by his son who took billions of dollars of Iran’s wealth abroad without accountability, is plunder nonetheless.
Coercion, too, remains coercion, whether it takes the form of forced removal of the hijab or forced imposition of the hijab.
And now, the son of the Shah dares to question the PMOI over the headscarves of their women and to separate them from men, mirroring the repressive culture of Reza Khan and Khomeini’s patronizing attitude.

Where has the respect for others’ beliefs, customs, rights, and freedom of choice gone? We must remember the heroic women who were tortured or executed in their fight against Khomeini, and the women who held leadership positions in the vanguard organization advancing the cause of freedom.
Does the image of Commander Sara, with a dagger piercing her heart and hanging by her feet from a tree on a rock in Hassan Abad Pass, not bear witness to the atrocities the regime committed?
I must ask, did your SAVAK interrogators not brutally murder my sister?
This is the common thread of misogyny that unites the Shah and the Sheikh, and their fate will be the same – certain overthrow.

What we and the people of Iran say

Dear friends,
It is time to embrace the realities of the world we live in. This is what our people, as well as ourselves, demand: The IRGC must be added to the list of designated terrorist organizations by the European Union. The IRGC and the Intelligence Ministry, which has been used as a diplomatic facade for the regime’s bombing plots, must be disbanded. This is what people of Iran demand and indispensable to promoting regional and global peace.

The era of granting concessions to the mullahs is over. This is no time to cultivate constructive relationships with a regime that perpetuates atrocities through executions and massacres. Instead, it is imperative to extend sincere apologies to the people of Iran for past support of religious tyranny.
The people of Iran have a fundamental right to reclaim their country from the shackles of religious fascism, and the valiant youth have the right to defend themselves against the IRGC, covert agents, and the barrage of bullets that pierce their eyes, heads, and hearts. The world must officially recognize these rights for the people of Iran.

I am now addressing you, courageous youths, Resistance Units, brave women, and freedom-loving students who seek to overthrow the mullahs’ regime.

Rest assured that with unwavering determination for freedom, democracy, equality, active participation of women in political leadership, as well as the flourishing of the talents of young people, we can pave the way towards a prosperous and advanced Iran. This is not only my fervent wish, but also the impetus behind our unwavering pursuit of freedom.

Let us be confident that the radiant spring of Iran is imminent, brought about by the unwavering bravery of its men and women.

We salute the fallen heroes, may freedom endure! May the democratic revolution of the Iranian people be victorious!