Iran Revolution and Resistance Supported by Canadian Lawmakers
Written by
Shamsi Saadati
On Tuesday, November 22, a cross-party panel of distinguished Canadian lawmakers gathered in solidarity with the Iranian people’s nationwide uprising. They also supported the organized Resistance movement, which has been playing a leading role in what many consider Iran’s democratic revolution.
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), was the keynote speaker of Tuesday’s event, shedding light on the current status of Iran’s nationwide uprising and what Western democracies can do to support the Iranian people’s quest for freedom she stated:
“The balance of power in Iran between people and Resistance on the one side and the mullahs’ regime on the other has changed. Iran is on the brink of a major change,”.
“The current uprising did not happen overnight. It is rooted in 43 years of repression. Women are at the forefront of this uprising because they have been under double oppression. They have been deprived of all their fundamental rights,” Mrs. Rajavi said while highlighting the role of Iranian women in protests expanding across Iran.
Mrs. Rajavi also referred to the regime’s desperate efforts to attack and tarnish the image of its viable alternative, the NCRI, and its pivotal member, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
“It is not without reason that the Iranian regime has increasingly targeted the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran as the only organized resistance movement inside Iran. In addition, it attacks the National Council of Resistance in all areas as its political alternative.”
“In addition to domestic repression, the regime has launched a disinformation campaign internationally and in the virtual space against its principal opposition. The regime’s agents act under different covers, including being a critic in order to justify more suppression and executions of opponents,” she added.
Iranian people’s nationwide uprising for a democratic republic & against a misogynistic regime
Senators & MPs attended a conference at the Canadian Parliament chaired by @JudySgroMP, a senior Member of Parliament & former Minister of Immigration #IranRevoIution #NCRIAlternative pic.twitter.com/BwKfOY1iaJ— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) November 23, 2022
Mrs. Rajavi urged Canadian lawmakers to make concrete efforts, so their government recognizes the Iranian people’s right to defend themselves and their struggle to overthrow the regime. Also, Mrs. Rajavi called for the terrorist designation of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and the regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and to expel the regime’s agents from Canada.
In her opening remarks, Mrs. Judy Sgro, a senior Member of Parliament and former Minister of Immigration, presided over the conference, extended thanks to Mrs. Rajavi for her remarks, and reiterated her support of the Iranian Resistance and the ongoing nationwide uprising. She also underlined that the NCRI is Iran’s long-lasting democratic coalition of opposition groups since 1981, seeking a pluralistic, non-nuclear, and democratic Iran. She also supported Mrs. Rajavi’s call to blacklist the IRGC.
After Mrs. Sgro, MP Michael Cooper addressed the event. He thanked Mrs. Rajavi for giving a comprehensive insight into the current situation in Iran. “The government of Canada has taken some important steps, but there is more work to do. Cheap among them is listing the IRGC as a terrorist organization and ensuring that the regime’s agents in Canada are no longer welcome in Canada, but they are sent home and that their assets are seized,” he added, endorsing Mrs. Rajavi’s call to action.
“More broadly, we need to work with our democratic allies to impose maximum pressure on the regime to support resistance and document the enormous crimes that are being committed against the Iranian people,” he continued.
MP David Epp was the next spear of Tuesday’s event. Calling the current resistance in Iran “inspirational,” Mr. Epp shared his experience of visiting Ashraf 3, the MEK’s compound in Albania, especially what he saw at the Museum of Resistance in Ashraf.
I was the first in the House of Commons to table a motion in support of women’s rights in Iran, which was supported widely. For me, it is important to be in solidarity with you. We are at your side, and wewill monitor the situation closely.
Mrs. Andréanne Larouche MP was also among the speakers at the conference on November 22. While supporting the Iranian women’s struggle for freedom, she said that she was the first in the House of Commons to table a motion in support of women’s rights in Iran, which was supported widely. She said that for her, “it is important to be in solidarity with you. We are at your side, and we will monitor the situation closely.”