Iranian Opposition Group Slams French Government’s ‘Disgraceful Act Against Democracy’ in Major Rally Ban

Protesters hold a placard under a flag of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI
EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images
Joshua Klein

A prominent Iranian opposition group expressed outrage over a “disgraceful act against democracy” and “succumbing” to Iranian pressure after the French government decided to ban a rally in support of the current uprising in Iran.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which calls for the overthrow of Iran’s clerical leadership, filed a legal complaint on Monday, one day after the cancellation by French authorities of their annual Free Iran summit and rally in Paris, which was expecting tens of thousands of supporters and Iranian expatriates from across Europe.

In a statement on the matter, the NCRI described the rally’s banning as a “disgraceful act against democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly,” as well as a form of “succumbing to extortion and hostage-taking by the religious dictatorship ruling Iran.”

It then notes how the Islamic regime has “continued its rule for nine months solely through a wave of executions [and] has hanged over 200 victims since the beginning of May.”

According to the opposition group, the theocratic regime’s “pressures on France to impose this ban reveals the mullahs’ paranoia over the popular sentiment towards the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and the organization’s pivotal role in the nationwide uprising.” 

“It also reflects the mullahs’ utter fear over the rally organized thousands of kilometers from Iran by the NCRI, which represents the democratic alternative to the ruling theocracy,” it continues.

It concludes by vowing that the Iran resistance movement will “employ all legal and political avenues to challenge and file a complaint against this unlawful and unwarranted ban.”

In an exclusive statement to Breitbart News on Tuesday, NCRI’s Ali Safavi, who serves as president of Near East Policy Research (NEPR), slammed the French Republic’s recent move.

“With Iran’s ruthless regime teetering on the edge, France has yet again rushed to the rescue!” he stated.

Safavi, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Paris-based NCRI, called the rally’s ban “disgraceful, unwarranted, and unlawful.”

“It is not only a dagger to the heart of the core European values of freedom of expression and assembly, but it also emboldens the medieval mullahs in their persistent use of blackmail and hostage-taking to manipulate concessions from their Western counterparts,” he explained.

The matter comes as France chose to ban the upcoming rally over terror fears, according to a letter sent to the organizers reported by Reuters.

It also comes as Albanian policemen raided the compound of the PMOI/MEK Iranian opposition group, leading to one death and over one hundred injured.

Last month, over one hundred former world leaders penned an open letter to the heads of the U.S., Canada, the E.U., and the U.K. calling for the Islamic Republic of Iran to be held accountable for its long-running crimes against humanity.

Among the over 100 signatories of the letter, including 50 former presidents and 47 former prime ministers, were former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, former British Prime Minister Liz Truss, former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and Italian ex-premier Matteo Renzi.

Meanwhile, a joint congressional House caucus hearing voiced support for the Iranian people’s uprising, following a wave of recent executions by the Islamic regime in an attempt to contain unrest in the country.

Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.

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