MUNICH -- Some 250,000 people have joined a demonstration in the Bavarian capital, German police told RFE/RL, in the largest ever protest in Europe by opponents of the authorities in Iran.
The Munich protest was part of a global day of action called by Reza Pahlavi, the last son of the shah of Iran who was deposed during the country’s 1979 Islamic revolution.
One of numerous figures in Iran’s fractious exiled opposition, he was greeted by loud cheers as he arrived.
“Today you see the horizon of victory closer than ever,” he told the crowd, which he said was one of the largest gatherings of Iranians anywhere. Other mass rallies were expected in Los Angeles and Toronto.
People came to Munich from across Europe, angered by a bloody crackdown against demonstrators in Iran in January in which security forces killed thousands of people.
'I'm So Happy They Are Waking Up'
“It’s very sad to say they are, we are, paying a price, of course, these youth that are dying every day. This blood, it’s so sad,” a woman called Atena told RFE/RL. Like other protesters, Atena, who traveled here from Milan, Italy, declined to give her full name.
Noting that she has cousins and friends in Tehran and other cities, Atena said the January protests in Iran gave her hope despite the response of security forces.
“I’m so happy they are waking up and they are asking for change…. This time, [change] is going to happen,” she said.
Another demonstrator, Rasool, told RFE/RL he had traveled from the Netherlands to join the protest in Munich.
“I’ve become angry, I’ve become upset, because my brothers and sisters, our parents, are in a dangerous situation. They [left] their life on the street for freedom,” Rasool said.
“This regime at this point is the weakest [it’s] ever been. So, if the US and Europe help us with a war action, the people can finish the job they have started,” he added.
Calls For US Military Action
Rasool’s echoed slogans on many banners calling for US military action against Iran.
US naval forces in the Persian Gulf remain poised within striking distance of Iran in one of the biggest US military buildups in the region in years. US President Donald Trump has voiced support and encouragement for Iranian protesters and signaled that US forces might intervene to protect them.
However, talks between US and Iranian negotiators appear to be more focused on other issues, such as Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, and its network of proxy forces in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.
Speaking at a news conference earlier on February 14, Pahlavi urged Trump to take action.
“The Iranian people heard you say ‘help is on the way’ and they have faith in you. Help them, and history will record you alongside not just the Iranian nation’s but the world’s greatest heroes,” he said.
The previous day, he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, an extremely rare meeting at such a level for the former crown prince.
Video shot by Ukrainian public TV showed the two men shaking hands in a wood-paneled room and then sitting at a table. Pahlavi thanked Zelenskyy for voicing support for Iranian protesters during his speech at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
But while the United States has supported Iranian protesters, it has not endorsed Pahlavi or any other leaders in exile -- although Pahlavi has repeatedly called for intervention in Iran by US President Donald Trump.
Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator for South Carolina, spoke at the Munich protest. "I have chosen the Iranian people over the ayatollah. I believe they could be good allies of the United States and would march the region toward the light," he said.
Other exiled Iranian opposition groups also announced they would be holding rival demonstrations in Munich over February 13-14 -- as world leaders gathered in the city for the annual security conference.
A much smaller protest was held on February 13 by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, which denounced both the current Iranian authorities and the idea of monarchist rule.
