About 250,000 people on Saturday demonstrated against Iran’s government on the sidelines of a gathering of world leaders in Germany, police said, answering a call from exiled Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi for cranked up international pressure on Tehran.
Banging drums and chanting for regime change, the giant and boisterous rally in Munich was part of what Pahlavi described as a “global day of action” to support Iranians in the wake of deadly nationwide protests. He also called for demonstrations in Los Angeles and Toronto.
Police said the number of protesters reached about 250,000, more than the organizers had expected.
Photo: EPA
“Change, change, regime change” the huge crowd chanted, waving green, white and red flags with lion and sun emblems. Iran used that flag before its 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the Pahlavi dynasty.
At a news conference, Pahlavi warned of more deaths in Iran if “democracies stand by and watch” following Iran’s deadly crackdown on protesters last month.
“We gather at an hour of profound peril to ask: Will the world stand with the people of Iran?” he said, adding that the survival of Iran’s government “sends a clear signal to every bully: Kill enough people and you stay in power.”
An estimated 350,000 people marched on the streets of Toronto as part of the Global Day of Action Rally, Toronto Police spokesperson Laura Brabant said.
At the Munich rally, demonstrators sported “Make Iran Great Again” red caps, mimicking the “Make America Great Again” caps worn by US President Donald Trump ‘s supporters.
Among those sporting the caps was US Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina who gave a speech to the crowd during which he was photographed holding up the headwear.
Many at the rally waved placards showing Pahlavi, with some calling him a king. The son of Iran’s deposed shah has been in exile for nearly 50 years, but is trying to position himself as a player in Iran’s future.
The crowd chanted “Pahlavi for Iran,” and “democracy for Iran” as drums and cymbals sounded.
“We have huge hopes and [are] looking forward that the regime is going to change hopefully,” said Daniyal Mohtashamian, a demonstrator who traveled from Zurich, Switzerland, to speak for protesters inside Iran who faced repression. “There is an Internet blackout, and their voices are not going outside of Iran.”
About 500 protesters also rallied outside the presidential palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, with many holding up banners with slogans against Iran’s government and in favor of Pahlavi.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency said at least 7,005 people were killed in last month’s protests, including 214 government forces.
Iran’s government offered its only death toll on Jan. 21, saying 3,117 people were killed.
The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll, given authorities have disrupted Internet access and international calls in Iran.
Iranian leaders are facing renewed pressure from Trump, who has threatened US military action. Trump wants Iran to further scale back its nuclear program. He suggested that regime change in Iran “would be the best thing that could happen.”
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