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Paris, June 30 (OLA NEWS) – Thousands of demonstrators gathered this Saturday, February 8, at Denfert-Rochereau in southern Paris to demand “justice, human rights, and freedom for the Iranian people.” Two months after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, a long-time ally of Tehran, Iran remains gripped by tension and ruled by an authoritarian government, denounced by participants in the rally.
Banners bearing slogans such as “Down with the oppressor, whether the Shah or the Supreme Leader” and “Long live the democratic revolution of the Iranian people” were held high by protesters, who condemned the current theocratic regime and called for the establishment of a more democratic system. Since President Masoud Pezeshkian took office in July 2024, hundreds of prisoners, including many women opposing the regime, have reportedly been killed, according to organizers.
Organized by the platforms Call4Freedom.org and IranNet.org, the event commemorated the 1979 Iranian Revolution led by Rouhollah Khomeini, which overthrew the dictatorship of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and established the Islamic Republic of Iran. Placards bearing the likenesses of Iranian opposition figures were held up, notably that of Massoud Rajavi, leader of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) and founder of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in 1981. Several of his supporters gathered in the French capital, waving NCRI flags featuring a lion holding a sword, set against green, white, and red — the national colors of Iran.
Paris, February 8, 2025, Henri Welschinger / OLA NEWS / SIPA PRESS
The rally took on an even more symbolic dimension with a speech by Maryam Rajavi, wife of Massoud Rajavi and the elected president of the NCRI. In her opening remarks, she reaffirmed her support for the Iranian people, denouncing a regime “that uses mass executions in Iran to maintain control.” She called for a free and democratic Iran, built on gender equality and the separation of religion and state.
According to the Paris police prefecture, around 6,000 people attended the rally. Organizers claim the figure was closer to 20,000.
Reporting and pictures by Henri Welschinger, Lucas Autréau, OLA NEWS PARIS; editing by Alexandre Minguez
