On Wednesday, 7 February, the 39th anniversary of the 1979 anti-monarchic revolution, a special meeting in support of the Iran uprising was held in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Dozens of MEPs from various political groups participated and spoke about the nationwide protests which shook Iran and spread to 142 cities and to all 31 provinces.
The meeting was chaired by Gérard Deprez (ALDE) and Tunne Kelam (EPP). Dr Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a former vice-president of the European Parliament, and Farzin Hashemi from the Iranian opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), were invited as guest speakers.
The following points were determined by the MEPs to be of particular importance:
The people of Iran, especially the younger generation, have made it clear that they are fed up with the Islamic fundamentalist rule and want regime change. Many shouted “down with dictator,” “down with Khamenei” and “down with Rouhani.”
The backlash by the Iranian regime has been violent, with 8,000 arrests and at least 12 deaths under torture. Dozens were killed in the streets. The head of the organization of Iranian prisons has confirmed the arrest of 5,000 protesters. The European Union must act. The silence of EU High Representative Federica Mogherini and other EU officials is unacceptable. The people of Iran expect Europe to take their side.
Iran witnessed a new round of protests on 1 and 2 February. Iran’s Interior Minister has said that up to 150 protests are taking place daily. In many cities, there were anti-government demonstrations and many clashes with the repressive forces of the regime. Every day, strikes and protests are taking place.
The economy is in crisis. Unemployment and unprecedented costs of living are particularly troublesome. The value of the official currency has dropped more than 15 percent in the last month.
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