Uprisings have ‘staying power’

OPINION:

I hail all freedom lovers who are present at this summit today. On the eve of the anniversary of the National Council of Resistance of Iran’s founding, the Iranian people, especially the impoverished and the massive army of laborers, have entered a new phase.

The Iranian people have engaged in different forms of struggle during the disgraceful rule of the religious dictatorship. The November 2019 uprising for bread, employment, and freedom was the climax of this struggle. The supreme leader Ali Khamenei is intent on using the conditions caused by the coronavirus to save the regime from being overthrown, but the Iranian people’s organized resistance has resolutely continued its struggle to topple this regime despite brutal suppression. The activities and campaigns undertaken by the Resistance Units are the most striking features of this struggle.

Today, the strong currents and forces intent on bringing down the regime is more than ever before impacting the mullahs. If the ruling clerics have succeeded in maintaining their grip on power, it is because they have employed every means of suppression and conspiracies. But, rest assured, that this is not reflective of the regime’s power. The protests and uprisings in the recent past, in particular the November 2019 uprising, made it palpably clear that the moribund regime is on its way out, and those who rising up for people’s democratic rights have staying power and will be victorious.

The initiative, which the NCRI began inside Iran 39 years ago, is now being pursued by countless Iranians across the country. These are women and men standing up against religious despotism and heralding the establishment of a democratic, secular, and justice-seeking republic. Mrs. Rajavi’s 10-point plan and the plan for the formation of the Solidarity Front are efforts aimed at bringing this prospect to fruition.