MEK ENJOYS WIDE SUPPORT OUTSIDE OF IRAN

MEK ENJOYS WIDE SUPPORT OUTSIDE OF IRAN

by Mahmood Hakamian 

The Iranian Regime would have you believe that the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) are highly unpopular both inside and outside of Iran, but nothing could be further from the truth.

We have dedicated several articles to the intense popularity of the MEK inside Iran and amongst the Iranian diaspora, which you can see for yourselves by looking at the ongoing Iranian uprising (organised by the MEK to incite regime change in Iran) and MEK TV (run by the MEK to provide news and information about the true nature of the Regime), so in this piece we will look at the evidence for wide support for the MEK outside of Iran.

There is an incredible amount of evidence that the MEK enjoys wide support amongst the international community, from activists to heads of state to everyone in between.

We can see this in small ways, through MEK supporters using the hashtag #IStandWithMaryamRajavi (the leader of the MEK) on social media, and in big ways, like highly-ranked foreign dignitaries making speeches in support of the MEK and advocating for their countries to recognise the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) - a coalition of dissident, democratic groups, including the MEK – as the government-in-exile of Iran.

International support for the MEK transcends party politics, national borders, and traditional alliances, proving that the MEK is far from an “insignificant” group.

Support for the MEK

Here, we’re going to look at some of the biggest ways that the MEK has received support from the international community.

• France allows the NCRI to operate pubically inside its borders, despite intense 

pressure from the Regime
• Albania is sheltering 3,000 MEK refugees, who were under attack from the Regime whilst in Camp Liberty in Iraq
• The US military defended the MEK from the Regime in Camp Liberty and Camp Ashraf

• The UN declared that the MEK were protected persons under the Geneva Convention and should be protected from harm in Iraq

These are all great examples of the international community’s support for the MEK, but one of the most important ways to judge MEK support is through the Free Iran Grand Gathering, which is held annually in Paris. It is regularly attended by over 100,000 people from politicians to human rights activists to Noble Prize winners to monarchs.

The Free Iran Gathering

This event marks the anniversary of the June 20, 1981, MEK demonstration in Tehran, where 500,000 people protested against the mullahs’ regime. Each year, more people than ever before come out to support the MEK in their fight for democracy in Iran.

This year’s gathering, held between June 29 and July 1, featured some of the best and brightest people from around the world speaking in support of the MEK. Let’s look at just a few.
• Maria Candida Almeida, Deputy Attorney General and former Attorney General of Portugal
• Sir David Amess, British MP
• Giulio Terzi, former Foreign Minister of Italy
• Ingrid Betancourt, former Colombian Senator, and presidential candidate
• Ranjana Kumari, Equality movement activist from India
• Eduard Lintner, former German deputy Interior Minister
• Pandeli Majko, former Albanian Prime Minister
• John Baird, former Foreign Minister of Canada
• Stephen Harper, former Prime Minister of Canada
• Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City
• Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the US House of Representatives
• General George Casey, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army (2007 to 2011)
• Louis Freeh, former Director of the FBI
• Michael Mukasey, former US Attorney General
• Frances Townsend, former assistant to the US President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
• Jérard Deprez, MEP
• Bernard Kouchner, former Foreign Minister of France
• Rama Yade, former French Minister of Human Rights

This list, which is outstanding in itself, does not even take into account the support for the MEK by those in the current US Cabinet, like national security advisor John Bolton. This makes many believe that soon Donald Trump will recognise Maryam Rajavi as the true president of the Iranian people and make US policy on Iran about regime change.

Newt Gingrich: Trump Will Work with Democrats to Shut Down Iran’s ‘State Terrorism’

PARIS, France, Breitbart, 6 Jul 2017 – Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich says he sees “a new round of resistance” on the horizon for Iran during Donald Trump’s presidency

PARIS, France, Breitbart, 6 Jul 2017 – Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich says he sees “a new round of resistance” on the horizon for Iran during Donald Trump’s presidency.
“I think that what’s happening is the [Iranian] regime is getting weaker,” Gingrich told Breitbart News at the annual “Free Iran” rally, organized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran ( NCRI ) near Paris on Saturday.

“I think it’s getting more desperate, I think it’s alienating more and more young people, and I would not at all be surprised to see a new round of resistance in the next three to four years.”
He added, “You’re going to have a Trump administration [that is] eager to be helpful. And with people like Secretary [James] Mattis and National Security Advisor McMaster–people who understand in a realistic way the nature of the Iranian dictatorship.”

Earlier in his speech to the crowd at the Free Iran rally, Gingrich said, “I think it’s safe to say that the Trump administration has much fewer illusions about the nature of the Iranian dictatorship.”
Gingrich said he believes the Democrats will work with Trump on Iran. “I think a lot of Democrats will work with him. I think there’s a general recognition, even under the Obama administration, they admitted and kept saying that Iran was the leading supporter of state terrorism in the world. There’s no question that that’s still true.”

He added, “Not even worrying about the nuclear program, you have to worry about the state terrorism.” He expressed little doubt that the Iranians are working with the North Koreans and that the Iranians are cheating on the nuclear deal.

Asked to respond to reports in the mainstream media suggesting the Mujaheddin e Khalq (MEK)–which is part of the NCRI—does not have a large following in Iran, Gingrich laughed and said, “Are they just nuts? Iran is a dictatorship.

“If you stood up and said, ‘hi, I support the MEK,’ they kill you. You have a justice minister who presided over killing 30,000 people. So when western journalists say, ‘hi, do you see anybody around here who is for the MEK?’ that’s so childish it’s unbelievable.”
The MEK is also known as the Organization of the People’s Holy Warriors of Iran, the National Liberation Army of Iran (NLA), the People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), and Sazeman-e Mujahedin-e Khalq-e Iran.

The State Department, under then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, delisted the MEK as a terrorist organization. They were initially placed on the terrorist list under President Bill Clinton in 1997, a move that some suggested was highly politicized by the administration in an attempt to garner favor with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

So far, they are the only organized Iranian opposition group and have been responsible for providing highly important and valuable intel about the Iranian regime’s internal dealings to the U.S. government.
In 2002, the MEK uncovered and exposed that the Iranian regime was cheating on the nuclear deal, they have provided intel that allegedly shows the locations of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)’s terrorist training centers, and North Korea’s aid to the Iranians for their missile program.
On that note, Gingrich added, “In terms of intelligence, they have consistently gotten good intelligence out of Iran, because they actually do have sources that are real.”

US reps. slam Iran nuclear deal at Tehran regime opponents' summit

Newt Gingrich

REUTERS, July 2, 2017 - Iranian government opponents gathered outside of Paris on Saturday (July 1) for the annual “Grand Gathering of Iranians”, organized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran ( NCRI ), to condemn the country’s regime and interference in the Middle East.
Among those present were several international delegations and representatives, such as former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Newt Gingrich and John Bolton from the United States. 
Iran reached a deal with the United States – under former President Barack Obama – and other major nations in 2015 to restricts Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
However, Iran is still subject to an arms embargo and other restrictions, which are not technically part of the nuclear agreement. 
US President Donald Trump has criticized the deal calling it a “disaster” and the “worst deal ever negotiated and in April ordered that it be reviewed, which could take months.

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Newt Gingrich and John Bolton were among those present.