People nationwide took to the streets again over the weekend to demonstrate against the inhumane conditions in Iran and to commemorate the victims of the air disaster that occurred three years ago: On January 8, 2020, a Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) Boeing 737-800 was shot down by two anti-aircraft missiles shortly after takeoff from Tehran. All 176 occupants died (more info here). Our colleague Simin was present at a rally in Munich and describes her impressions:
There are pictures of the victims of flight PS752, suitcases symbolically placed. The mood at Odeonsplatz is sad, depressed - also due to the events of the previous day: The executions of Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini are present. As we start walking, the people are motivated, together they feel strong, clearly raise their voices for freedom and justice. They all have the same goal: young and old stand together. People who have spent half their lives in Iran, people who have spent only a few years of their childhood there, all feel this deep connection to their homeland. All those who have not been able to see their homeland and their families for years and decades have new hope. You can feel they want to stand by their homeland and their people. What goes through my mind: For us it is so easy to go out on the streets and protest, for the people in Iran it is not. They are risking their lives and we owe it to them to stand up for them. Highlight of the demo for me: when Shervins Hajipour's song "Baraye" is played. It is always played at demos, but this time people sang along louder than ever, very emotional.
Yasin Shafaghi of the Association of Victims' Families says in his speech, "In the West, they asked: 'Why would they (the Iranian government) deliberately shoot down a passenger plane?'
I ask them: 'Why would they execute our youth at dawn? Why would they kill them with bullets in the street? Why should they rape and torture? Why should they blind people? It is hard for you to believe this. But they are enemies of life." The end of this nightmare is near, he said. And the key to success, he said, lies in unity and self-organization.
The women.life.freedom.munich speech said, "The Iranian government wants to scare us with these inhumane tactics. They want to show their power and violence. But this time everything is different. This time they have no chance. This time we have decided not to be afraid. This time we all want to join together to overthrow this barbaric and inhumane regime."
A very emotional day.