Skip navigation

Indymedia UK is a network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues

Iranian left activists manhandled on stop the war demo

repost | 15.10.2006 13:10 | Repression | Social Struggles | Birmingham

Women rights activists manhandled by the organizers of the Stop the War Coalition in the demonstration in Manchester.

To all freedom-loving and progressive individuals and organizations

On Saturday 23rd of September, during the Labor Party’s conference, a demonstration against war was held in Manchester. Tens of thousands of people gathered on the streets of Manchester to protest against the war, to condemn the US/UK policies towards Iraq and Iran and to demand withdrawal of the troop from Iraq.

During the demonstration a few flags of the Islamic regime of Iran were raised. The flag which represents a regime that has tortured and imprisoned millions of people in Iran; has executed tens of thousands of people during its 27 years of power; has assassinated the opposition abroad and has imprisoned many students and workers just because they defended their very basic rights. The flag which
represents a regime that is suppressing people in Iran on a daily basis, stones women to death and executes homosexuals; the flag which represents the regime of gender apartheid, the regime which has been committing crime against humanity for 27 years. Yes, these are just some examples of what the flag of the Islamic regime represents!

How would you feel if you see a flag of such a criminal regime in a
humanitarian demonstration? How would you feel if you are tortured and your friends got raped and executed by the same regime? Wouldn’t you protest against the attendance of this flag?

For all the above reason I did protest. I was carrying the picture of a woman who was due to be executed in Iran and I protested against the attendance of the flags of the Islamic regime of Iran; I got manhandled by the organizers of Stop the War Coalition because simply they couldn’t tolerate criticizing the Islamic terrorism; because they have decided to close their eyes on such a brutal crime.

I have been a women rights activist all my life, I was imprisoned by the Islamic regime of Iran for three and a half years at the age of 16, I was tortured and many of my friends got executed by a regime whose flag was raised in the demonstration in Manchester and yet I was manhandled by the Stop the War Coalition and specifically one of the organizers by the name of Ghada Razuki. Stop the War Coalition organizers also manhandled my colleague, Reza Moradi, who was also opposing the attendance of the flag of the criminal Islamic regime of
Iran. Please see the following link which is from the demonstration in Manchester and was sent to me by a journalist.
 http://www.moonbatmedia.com/time_to_go_230906/rezamoradi.html

During the last few years, thousands of people have been participating in the demonstrations against the war, people who care about humanity and want to put an end to the war and slaughtering of people. However, unfortunately time after time their intentions and causes got hijacked by the Stop the War Coalition. Stop the War Coalition has always legitimized the criminal and misogynist acts of the Islamic regime and Islamic groups under the cover of anti-American
slogans. How can Stop the War Coalition close its eyes on the situation of millions of women who are the victim of stoning, honor killing and suppression under the Islamic laws?

Take a few minutes and try to remember all the demonstrations organized by Stop the War Coalition, have you ever seen a speaker in these demonstrations talking about the dire situation of people under the Islamic laws? Have you ever asked yourself why? Some may say because we have to fight the US first; but how can one ignore the fact that the Islamic regimes and the Islamic groups are killing,
torturing, abusing and suppressing millions of people, specially women and children, in Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, and all the other countries ruled by the Islamic and Sharia law? Even now that you are reading this piece of writing, Kobra Rahmanpour, Nazanin Fatehi, Fateme Haghighatpajoo and several women like them are awaiting execution. Perhaps this is not a crime from the Stop the War Coalition’s point of view!

To stop terrorism we must be against poles of terrorism, the US terrorism and the Islamist terrorism; being against one should not lead us to support the other one.

No one must be allowed to legitimize and promote killing people including the Stop the War Coalition. Stop the War Coalition’s act of manhandling women’s rights activists in the demonstration in Manchester is disgraceful and outrageous and must be condemned by all the freedom loving people because their act is an insult to all the people who care about humanity and fight for human being’s dignity.

Please send letters to Stop the War Coalition to object the way they acted in the demonstration on 23rd of September in Manchester.  office@stopwar.org.uk

Shiva Mahbobi
30/9/2006

repost


Comments

Hide the following 5 comments

Bullshit!

15.10.2006 19:26

Your testimony might have some credibility if you didn't link to the website of Maryam Namazie, a well known Islamophobe and supporter of US imperialism.

Adamski


Could Indymedia UK make its pro-war mission any clearer?

16.10.2006 01:14

Hitler needed the jews demonised for many many years before he could execute his worst plans.

Blair, and his agents in command and control positions within Indymedia UK, attack muslims with exactly the same intent.

The vile racist dribblings of 'pirate' (pushing Outrage! pro-Iran-war propaganda of behalf of pro-war factions within the marxist-zionist movement) used to be promoted on the newswire as well, until others and myself illustrated how clearly evil these articles were. Even so, 'pirate' has never lost one of its BNP-style rants to censorship here.

On the other hand, when the Israelis (to the applause of people working to the same agenda as the author of the above article) wiped out families enjoying a holiday on the beach, for the crime of being 'sub-human', comments from people like myself detailing the Israeli methodology were deleted by the same censors that promoted the above pro-Iran-war article. These racist censors, acting on behalf of their zionism-marxist cult, were then able to enjoy the fruits of their labour, when shortly afterwards, Israel executed a long planned operation to unleash a holocaust in Lebanon.

Of course, pointing out the reason for the promotion of the above article, and pointing out the purpose of 'pirate's posts, and the censorhip of anti-crimes-against-humanity comments on this site does nothing to stop the effectiveness of such tactics.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE IN THE WEST, REGARDLESS OF THE LOW REGARD THEY HOLD THEIR POLITICIANS IN, ARE BEING DRIVEN EVER FASTER TO FEAR AND/OR HATE MUSLIMS.

Big wars are driven by racism. You accept commands to kill 'them' because 'they' are different from you. Getting this meme pounded into the thoughts of people, for whom big war will be the most destructive thing possible in their lives, takes persistence and power. Blair's people riddle organisations like Indymedia UK. Usually they attempt to work with a degree of sophistication. Sometimes (like now) their mission priorities are too urgent to worry too much about potential blow-back.

Imagine an Indymedia UK in the 1930's. Imagine protests against Hitler. Imagine those protests being sabotaged by agents of Hitler (and god only knows, the UK establishment was a mass of pro-Hitler individuals). How? By telling the 'liberals' that they should focus on the policies of extremist fundamentalist jews (who certainly existed back then, and exist today) attending these protests. Imagine a poster named 'pirate' (a co-incidence I'm sure) who posted almost daily articles attacking the regime in Poland (Hitler's agents throughout the West were very good at doing this in reality).

A few months back, Blair's agents here were telling you that Straw was an enemy of Blair, that Straw had been 'demoted', and that Straw should lead the anti-Iran-war movement (attached to articles pushing a British Intelligence run mock Iran-solidarity organisation). When that kite didn't fly, are you REALLY suprised to see the architect of Israel's genocide in Palestine and Lebanon (as Foreign Secretary, Straw worked to have all muslim resistance groups declared 'terrorist' in the EU, in contradiction to UN law) playing such a major part in the demonisation of muslims?

And talking of Straw, I hope you noticed that it was Blair's agents within the leadership of the so-called anti-war movement that CANCELLED protests in Straw's consituency. DID YOU NOT WONDER WHY THE BBC GAVE BLAIR'S MAN GALLOWAY SUCH SIGNIFICANCE ON THE NEWS BROADCASTS WHEN HE VERBALLY ATTACKED STRAW? The reason? Simple, because you FAIL to wonder where the protests went, if you hear what appears to be a pleasing rant from Galloway. WHAT YOU FAIL TO REALISE IS THAT A REAL PROTEST AGAINST STRAW COULD HAVE SNOWBALLED INTO A DEVASTATING SERIES OF SPONTANEOUS PUBLIC ACTIONS AGAINST BLAIR, WHEREAS A GALLOWAY RANT, WHILE THRILLING THE NAIVE LEFTIES, HELPS STIR UP ANTI-MUSLIM FEELING AMONGST THE GENERAL PUBLIC EVEN MORE.

You see, Galloway is so effective for Blair since he NEVER wins converts, but he plays to near total approval to those who already 'believe' (helping entrench his leadership position). On the other hand, Galloway ACTIVELY angers otherwise neutral people, pushing them frmly into the anti-muslim camp. Therefore, when you cheer Galloway's rant on Sky, or the BBC yesterday, you fail to comprehend that he is broadcast because he helps build Blair's powerbase, NOT yours.

An anti-Straw public protest would have hurt Blair.
An anti-Straw rant from Galloway on the BBC helps Blair.

You can guess how un-suprised I was when the latter happened (and then Blair's agents go around telling people how the BBC must be 'secretly' anti-Blair for broadcasting Galloway's words- because they think you are that stupid).

Blair's genocide of Iran draws ever closer. When the time is right, you will see Blair's agents in command and control positions at sites like this discard the mask, and attempt to crudely push pro-genocide propaganda as hard as they can. This action will trigger a fight for the 'soul' of pro-Human activism, but it will be too late then.

If Indymedia UK was under the control of real pro-Human activists, the debate would be focused on the sickening racism used to punish North Korea, and reward Israel, a Blair tactic used to create the conditions under which the plan to genocide Iran is progressed. Admittedly, North Korea acted in an attempt to work against the Iran War by diverting attention to itself, but Blair's experts simply take the manoeuvers of N Korea, and use then to 'spin' against Iran by suggestiong that 'do-able' action against Iran serves as a proxy for 'too dangerous' action agains N Korea.

Whether or not the 'Korea ploy' works for Blair, merely persuing it continues with the 'momentum of history' master plan that guarantees war with Iran sooner or later regardless.


twilight


twilight = bush

16.10.2006 09:19

Twilight,

once again your ranting leads to some very intersting questions being raised with regards to your motives and your ethics.

Firstly, do you disagree with the remarks made in the article about the severe repression carried out by the Iranian regime?
Do you think that people who have suffered under this regime should be silenced? Your fascist views with regards to silencing debate and condemnation of the Iranian regime mirrors the very same activities that you state the the british government takes with regards to silencing critisisms of its policy.

there is nothing of any value in the Iranian regime that should be praised. If i am wrong then please correct me. Again, if the reporting of the supression carried out by the Iranian government is wrong then please enlighten us.
do you find it so hard to be a critic of opression wherever if occurs (in this instance in both the actions of the UK/US and Iran)?

Your simplistic logic of "my enemies enemy is my friend" is just that - simplistic.
While your condemnation of any critisism of the Iranian government mirrors the bush/blair doctrine of "your are either with us or against us". nice that you adhere to the same fascist logic as these two, eh?

so twilight, do you oppose all forms of opression and all those who have been opressed or just those that fit neatly into your ideological box?

Steve


Who Cares if

16.10.2006 10:00

Who cares if its pro or anit war, or pro or anti anything else for that matter.
What was written is what was written.

I feel the sentiment that anything put on Indymedia sites must comply with pro-gay, pro-choice, anti-israel, anti-america and anti-whatever the powers that be [Indymedian] want. There is nothing but a constant push to one side of the fence; any debate or consideration or disagreement is frowned upon.

Who Cares If


Well said

16.10.2006 10:57

The Stop The War Coalition and Respect will never seriously criticize Islamic fascism because they fear alienating the Muslim community they depend on (hopefully) for support. Secularist principles have been completely sacrificed in the rush to get into bed with Islamists.

And who wins out of this alliance of supposed Leftists and Islamist radicals? Only the so-called community leaders (imams) who push the misogynist, anti-democratic and reactionary policies of Islamism.

All religion is submission. Whatever happened to that old anarchist slogan of 'Neither God Nor Master'?

Progressive Contrarian
- Homepage: http://progcontra.blogspot.com


Links