VENUE: Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, London
With the increasingly belligerent noises coming out of Washington about the current Iranian regime and its stance on nuclear power and weapons, Oxford’s Iranian exiles and their supporters have been getting increasingly alarmed at the possibility of a US attack or even invasion....(Continues below poster)
Flyer, courtesy of NCRI
MEETING: Thursday 15 December, 10.00am to 13.30pm
VENUE: Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, London.
With the increasingly belligerent noises coming out of Washington about the current Iranian regime and its stance on nuclear power and weapons, Oxford’s Iranian exiles and their supporters have been getting increasingly alarmed at the possibility of a US attack or even invasion. I have spoken to a number of local Iranian dissidents, belonging mainly to the umbrella organisation, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a democratic organisation with a woman president, Maryam Rajavi, who are desperately worried about the continuing human rights abuses under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the excuse this might give for Western military intervention.
They are now trying to raise the profile of their organisation in the UK and Oxford in the hope of influencing public opinion against military intervention, as well as increasing pressure on Tehran on issues of human rights. In particular, they are organising a coach to go to London next week to take part in a meeting on Thursday 15 December. The meeting is entitled ‘Iran: Human Rights Stoned’ and will include some well-known speakers and video. One of the organisations that strongly supports NCRI is the WAFE (Women Against Fundamentalism and For Equality) headed by the redoubtable campaigner Elizabeth Sidney, who may possibly be a speaker on the 15th.
If you would be interested in taking part in this meeting, please contact Mahi on 07971 997929 asap to have details of travel arrangements and book a place on the coach. If you would like to learn more about the Iranian Resistance and the NCRI, and possibly help organize events in Oxford to highlight these issues, please also contact Mahi as above, or you can check out various websites such as:
http://ncr-iran.org/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/ and
http://www.iran-e-azad.org/english/ncri.html .