Among dignitaries and local officials in the event were four mayors from Val d’Oise province and former president of the lawyers bar association in the province.
Among dignitaries and local officials in the event were four mayors from Val d’Oise province and former president of the lawyers bar association in the province.
Speaking to the participants Mrs. Rajavi said, "It is difficult to start the year without being among you. With you, I feel that I am with my own family, the extended family of the Resistance. I will always remember your compassion and kind support." She regretted that her follow Christians in Iran could not celebrate the New Year and added, "Unfortunately during Christmas and New Year period, the monster of fundamentalism and terrorism whose heart beats in Tehran, has killed French nationals in Mauritania and struck in Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan and especially Pakistan with the murder of Benazir Bhutto. Let me again express my deepest sympathy to the people of those countries and to the bereaved families."
She described the gathering as a sign of solidarity between two nations and said, "The event sends a message of hope for the Iranian people, because they see that their struggle for freedom brings them new friends every day. The evening also sends the message to the mullahs that every year there are more and more people who are opposed to their savagery. The evening finally sends a message to the advocates of complacency with the mullahs and tells them that the period of support for religious fascism is over."
She also spoke about Ashraf City, home to thousands of members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK) in Iraq and said, "Those who are in Ashraf defend human values and progress for a free Iran. They are fighting for freedom and democracy in Iran. They represent the most powerful barrier against mullahs’ fundamentalism in Iraq and the Middle East."
Jean Pierre Bequet, mayor of Auvers-sur-Oise, reiterated his support for Mrs. Rajavi’s efforts to establish democracy in Iran which is essential in the fight against fundamentalism. He denounced the regime’s disinformation campaign against the Iranian Resistance and described the movement as a true defender of democracy and freedom. He called on Mrs. Rajavi to convey his best wishes to PMOI members in Ashraf and hoped for their success in 2008.
The event followed by local and traditional Iranian performances and the guests were treated with special traditional Iranian cuisine.