Open Letter to STWC from Political Association of Iranian Refugees
Pigeon | 18.03.2005 10:12 | Anti-militarism | Repression | Social Struggles | Birmingham | London | World
Iranian refugee group criticises STWC for refusing to give platform to voices equally critical of US imperialism and the stutus quo in Iran.
14.3.05
Dear Friends,
You are aware that in an act of protest against the threats of military intervention by the US and its allies inIran, 5 Iranian asylum seekers have set off on foot from Birmingham on 12th March to join the national anti-war demonstration in London on March 19th. They are undertaking this action both to highlight and oppose the threats against Iran and to appeal to progressive and freedom loving people in Britain to support their struggle against the barbaric regime in Iran. We phoned your office on Friday, 11th March to ask for support for the protest walk and to ask about the possibility of a representative from the walk saying a few words from the platform at the end of the march. We were told to explain our position and, upon my explanation, were told STWC "can not allow any statement against the Islamic regime in Iran from the platform."
We see ourselves as part of a movement for democracy in Iran that is moving towards overthrowing the reactionary Islamic regime. We see any intervention or even threats of intervention by the US and its allies against Iran as detrimental to our movement. We will vehemently oppose and resist such intervention. The reality of our movement is such that we can not drop our opposition to the Iranian regime because of the threats by the US, or drop our opposition to US threats because of the barbarity of the Islamic regime.
We are aware that the campaign Action Iran that you are promoting on your website believes that "ordinary Iranians are making advances towards democracy". We strongly disagree with this analysis, which is promoted by the Islamic regime and its agents internationally. We believe that, while the movement for democracy is growing in Iran, democratic rights are suppressed in increasing measure in Iran and ordinary Iranians are not amking progress towards democracy.
We beleive STWC should be a broad based camapign, and should not exclude the views of opponents of the Islamic regime while promoting the views of supporters of this barbaric regime.
Arash Shakib (Organiser of the protest walk)
Political Association of Iranian Refugees.
Email:-
asimport@hotmail.com
Dear Friends,
You are aware that in an act of protest against the threats of military intervention by the US and its allies inIran, 5 Iranian asylum seekers have set off on foot from Birmingham on 12th March to join the national anti-war demonstration in London on March 19th. They are undertaking this action both to highlight and oppose the threats against Iran and to appeal to progressive and freedom loving people in Britain to support their struggle against the barbaric regime in Iran. We phoned your office on Friday, 11th March to ask for support for the protest walk and to ask about the possibility of a representative from the walk saying a few words from the platform at the end of the march. We were told to explain our position and, upon my explanation, were told STWC "can not allow any statement against the Islamic regime in Iran from the platform."
We see ourselves as part of a movement for democracy in Iran that is moving towards overthrowing the reactionary Islamic regime. We see any intervention or even threats of intervention by the US and its allies against Iran as detrimental to our movement. We will vehemently oppose and resist such intervention. The reality of our movement is such that we can not drop our opposition to the Iranian regime because of the threats by the US, or drop our opposition to US threats because of the barbarity of the Islamic regime.
We are aware that the campaign Action Iran that you are promoting on your website believes that "ordinary Iranians are making advances towards democracy". We strongly disagree with this analysis, which is promoted by the Islamic regime and its agents internationally. We believe that, while the movement for democracy is growing in Iran, democratic rights are suppressed in increasing measure in Iran and ordinary Iranians are not amking progress towards democracy.
We beleive STWC should be a broad based camapign, and should not exclude the views of opponents of the Islamic regime while promoting the views of supporters of this barbaric regime.
Arash Shakib (Organiser of the protest walk)
Political Association of Iranian Refugees.
Email:-
asimport@hotmail.com
Pigeon
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