“First, lest anybody tries to misrepresent us, we are clearly meeting here to mark the 44th anniversary of the overthrow of the diabolical, despicable, and detested Shah, and we do not want to go back to those days under any circumstances whatsoever,” said John Bercow, the former speaker of the United Kingdom’s House of Commons, during a grand gathering in Paris on Sunday, in solidarity with the people of Iran.
Over ten thousand freedom-loving Iranians gathered in Paris, honoring the 1979 anti-monarchic revolution and supporting their risen compatriots in the revolution in the making in Iran. They echoed the voice of their compatriots of “death to the oppressor, be it Shah or the mullahs,” rejecting the regime’s plots to misguide the uprising by trying to resuscitate the deposed Pahlavi dictatorship.
Below is the full text of Hon. John Bercow’s speech, revised and edited for clarity.
Thank you for the great privilege of being invited to be amongst your number today. I have witnessed the strength, the feeling, the passion, and the determination, and it has been my honour to listen to a series of speeches of the most compelling force. Why are we gathered here in the hearts of Paris this Sunday afternoon? The answer, my friends, my colleagues, and my fellow freedom lovers, is simply stated we detest dictatorship, and we demand democracy for the long-suffering people of Iran. I have just a small number of points to underline and articulate to you. First, lest anybody tries to misrepresent us, we are clearly meeting here to mark the 44th anniversary of the overthrow of the diabolical, despicable, and detested Shah, and we do not want to go back to those days under any circumstances whatsoever. You know, and I know, we know that the Shah was a corrupt killer. I repeat, the Shah was a corrupt killer. Corrupt in massive theft and a killer of huge numbers of decent Iranians who simply wanted to be free. The Shah did not believe in democracy. He did not believe in freedom.
John Bercow, ex-Speaker of the UK House of Commons: We are clear, meeting here, marking the 44th anniversary of the overthrow of the diabolical & despicable Shah, that we do not want to go back to that dictatorship under any circumstances.#IranRevolutionhttps://t.co/q7f4fE5Huv
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 12, 2023
He did not believe in the rights of the media. He did not believe in the rights of women. He did not believe in the rights of minorities.
It was because of his appalling record and his persistent thuggery over decades that he was removed. And that was the basis of what should have been a revolution of, by, and for the people of Iran. But you know, and I know, we know that the Ayatollahs, as has been pertinently explained, hijacked that revolution. They twisted that revolution. They distorted that revolution. They perverted that revolution. Ladies and gentlemen, my friends, they ruined that revolution. And my second point is very, very simple. The monarchical despotism of the Shah has simply given way to and been replaced by the religious despotism of the Ayatollahs. They do not believe in democracy. They do not believe in freedom.
They do not believe in the rights of the media. They do not believe in the rights of women, and they do not believe in the rights of ethnic minorities. They are dictators every bit as much as the Shah was a dictator. We don’t want dictatorship for the people of Iran. We want democracy for the people of Iran. We want democracy. We want freedom.
We want the rule of law. We want respect for the media, we want equality for women, and we want the protection of the equal rights of minorities. Whatever your religion, or whether you subscribe to any religion at all, you have a right to be free. And the people of Iran have a right to be free. And they have an opportunity to be free because there is a decent, credible, authentic alternative to best deal with the regime in Tehran at the moment. And you heard it in the passionate, powerful, and persuasive words of Mrs. Rajavi. We all know that Mrs. Rajavi is a person of guts, a person of vision, a person of character, and a person with an unquenchable desire to commit herself to public service and the people of Iran. And the Ten Point Plan shows how the National Council of Resistance of Iran would go about securing a free, democratic, law-based justice, observing a secular and non-nuclear republic. That’s what you want, and that’s what we want. And, my friends, in conclusion, I want to identify, I want to empathize with, I want to associate myself with the powerful remarks of all previous speakers, people of very great distinction who know the value of freedom.
If we are to help the people of Iran to chart a course to genuine democracy, those of us lucky enough in our countries, be it in France, be it in Belgium, be it in the United Kingdom, to enjoy democracy have to recognise that it is time to prescribe. Those who don’t believe in democracy, freedom, or in justice, or in the rule of law, or inequality and who simply believe in the fascistic application of force. And the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps represents precisely that vicious, bestial, dangerous, violence-orientated ethos. And it should be proscribed as the terrorist organization that it is. The IRGC needs to be proscribed. Finally, amongst all of you here today, men and women from all parts of the community, the thing I think is most encouraging is to see here, present, I see literally in my line of vision, many young people who will not be satisfied until there is a free, democratic, secular, human, rights-respecting republic in Iran. Ladies and gentlemen, keep the faith. Never tire, and remain resolute because the prospect of freedom is around the corner. You will rest only when you have that freedom, that democracy, that justice.
We in the United Kingdom, people in France, people in Belgium, and people elsewhere, are on the side of freedom for Iran. And we will not cease our support for the freedom of Iran. Long may you persist, may you get your way, and may the bravery, courage, and heroism of Mrs. Rajavi be rewarded. Onwards and upwards. Thank you.
