It has finally happened. Someone other than me and a small handful of others who are also usually demonized as racists—actually views the Islamic/Islamist regime of Iran as an Apartheid regime and is calling for an anti-apartheid-like protest and solidarity movement against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Hot damn!
Please note that this movement has been launched in the UK and amazingly, is not a protest against Israel as an allegedly “racist, apartheid” state.
There is a God after all.
I have been haunted by the information coming out of Teheran, about the murder and torture of so many young and brave Iranians—women as well as men—and our true future allies.
Maryam Namazie, the UK based leader of One Law For All, is now calling for “people across the world to stand with the people of Iran on July 25th and every day.” Maryam Namazie is no novice to organizing. On March 7th, in London, she called for a rally in Trafalgar Square which was followed by a public meeting in Conway Hall. Namazie described the rally as an “anti-racist London rally against Sharia and religious-based laws in Britain and elsewhere and in defense of citizenship and universal rights.” She also launched a petition drive which has more than 10,000 signatures.
Iran Solidarity is calling on people everywhere to step up their support for the people of Iran by joining July 25 demonstrations at embassies of the Islamic regime of Iran in cities across the globe. Since Iran Solidarity was founded last week, “over 1,000 individuals and organizations have joined, including Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Mina Ahadi, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and Taslima Nasrin.
Iran Solidarity was launched in the House of Lords. Footage of the launch may be viewed here.
The leaders are also calling for “every day to be a day of solidarity with the people of Iran and are looking to have one person every day in central London for half an hour for the next year starting July 26.” They are asking people to volunteer to express your solidarity as they see fit on a day that they are available during the next 365 days. “You would need to stand alone, be over 16 years of age, and spend the half hour doing whatever you’d like to do to show your support and solidarity.
Volunteers are asked to email iransolidaritynow@gmail.com with their names, email and mobile numbers as well as the dates they are available. “We aim to film or photograph all the daily acts of protest and solidarity.”
This movement is envisioned as a global movement. The organizers write: “If you do not live in London and want to take part or organise daily acts of solidarity in other cities contact us so we can help you. You can also organise a flash mob that can highlight the situation in Iran, set up information tables or mobilise support for our campaign. You can set up Iran Solidarity groups at your schools and universities, neighbourhoods and workplaces – similar to the anti-apartheid groups that helped get rid of racial apartheid in South Africa. You can join us if you haven’t already done so and get others to join…Please feel free to download Neda masks and posters and those calling for the prosecution of Ali Khamenei for crimes against humanity from our website to take to protests or for your own acts of solidarity. You can also download and hand out the leaflets and postcard available on our site.”
Namazie closes: “We have a responsibility and duty to unite to support a hugely important movement in Iran that will help the people of Iran and the world in heralding a new dawn.
We can and will make a difference; the future is ours!”
For more information, visit our website or blog or contact:
Maryam Namazie
Campaign Organiser
BM Box 2387
London WC1N 3XX, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 7719166731
I applaud this effort. I suggest that we in America, in each great city, and in the great cities of Europe and the Middle East, also stand in solidarity against the apartheid regime in Iran and for Iran’s heroic protestors.
One Law for all is a great movement. How can we tolerate women being stoned to death for talking, or loughing? Its a miracle that any woman would feel like loughing under the rule of the dark robed sour puss theocracy.
As a feminist i think this movement was long in coming, and yes dear Phyllis had been a constant reminder of the injustices. Thank you Phyllis for your constant sorrow. Bless you!
I don’t know why you refer to the Iranian people as our future allies.
They aren’t going to get any sort of support from the US with a President like Der ObamaFuhrer. He sees Armageddon-eye-jab as a fellow “community organizer” – one who in mounting the US Embassy takeover is worthy of much admiration for actually managing to bring America to its knees (much as D OF is pretty effectively doing to us right now).
No, Barry’s only real thought on the protests in Iran is how to implement the same sort of tactics used by Armageddon-eye-jab, Huge-ego Chavez and the rest of the Socialist cabal here against the average citizens in the US without the media opposing similar brutality.
If anything Barry would be thinking of closing Gitmo to use the inmates there as camp guards inside the US after they start rounding up the opposition with an eye to using techniques like water-boarding on the folks they’d really like to use them on – Conservatives.
No, one day soon if folks here don’t step up like the Iranians are, we’ll likely be admiring the rumors we hear of their new freedoms from behind the barb-wire of the new Auschwitz in Montana we are sent to for having dared to oppose the Chosen One.
The people at NoSharia are demanding the following which should be incorporated into the Day’s demands:
To close down all Iranian embassies
To freeze all bank accounts of the leaders of Islamic Republic of Iran
To expel the Islamic Republic from all the International Agencies
To bring to trial all the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran in an international court for their crimes against humanity, in particular in Iran
Homa Arjomand
The coordinator of The International Campaign to close down Iranian
Embassies
http://www.nosharia.com
homawpi@nosharia.com
416-737-9500
The story of Taraneh Mousav is heart breaking. She is one of many who have met this disgusting fate in a land where men set down the most self righteous rules for women. No wonder males aren’t able or desirous of keeping control over themselves. Does one of them need to die to get a virgin. Has anyone in the women’s movement here or in Europe been activated by this particularly dramatic horror? (Beside Phyllis.) Or are they too busy denouncing Israel. I’ve been in both countries. I never felt subjected to this free for all threat on any Israeli street, but after one month in Iran, I was ready for chador.
Nobody can foresee what will happen in the future. Nevertheless, I expect that within a year, Iran will be a free, democratic country.
Hey, Iran is not a state of Nepotism! The pseudo-fraudalently elected president of Iran, whose name I refuse to learn to spell of pronounce was forced to replace his vice president, who just happened to be his son-in-law. Yeah, the Supreme religious leader and the radical head general of the “just say the word to bomb Israel” Iranian “Revolutionary Guard” (Stalin must be POed he never thought of that term), called for the VP’s ouster.
Opps, silly me! It seems that the son-in-law had a few “kind” words to say about Israel. Not even Daddy-in-law could save him from doing such a horrible thing. But, at least, he won’t be beaten, whipped, stoned, imprisoned and killed like any average Iranian who dare to commit such a dispicable act. I guess it’s back to waste management for him (and the Presidential Palace Guest House). No doubt the rest of the in-laws got the hint and will soon be bashing Israel and progressive-minded Iranians.
Sorry for starting out on an optimist note, my bad!