A Call for Change: Thousands of Iranians Protest in Brussels

NILIM KASHYAP BARTHAKUR

On September 6, 2025, Brussels became the epicenter of a powerful demonstration as tens of thousands of Iranian expatriates and their international allies gathered to protest the clerical regime in Tehran.

The “Free Iran” rally, organised by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), marked the 60th anniversary of the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and served as a unified call for a radical shift in Western policy toward Iran.

The protest, which brought together diverse groups of the Iranian diaspora, was not just a show of solidarity but a clear and unequivocal demand for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. Marching from the iconic Atomium, demonstrators voiced their rejection of all forms of dictatorship, chanting slogans such as “Death to the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Supreme Leader,” a powerful signal that the resistance is not looking to the past but to a new, democratic future.

The rally’s primary message, directed at the European Union and its member states, centred on three critical demands. First and foremost was the call to officially designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation. Protesters and speakers argued that this step is a necessary and long-overdue measure to dismantle the regime’s primary instrument of repression at home and its network of terrorism abroad.

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Second, the demonstrators urged for the expansion of sanctions against the regime’s leadership and its financial lifelines, including key banks and the oil sector. They contended that decades of a “policy of appeasement” have only emboldened the regime, leading to a surge in human rights abuses inside Iran and a destabilising role in the region.

Finally, the participants called on the West to formally recognise and engage with the Iranian opposition, specifically the NCRI and its President-elect, Maryam Rajavi. Rajavi’s “Ten-Point Plan,” which advocates for a secular, democratic, and non-nuclear republic, was presented as the viable and credible alternative that the international community has long claimed was absent.

The demonstration received high-profile international support, with a number of distinguished political figures addressing the crowd. Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence delivered a strong message of solidarity, stating that “the greatest threat to this regime is not America or Israel, but the Iranian people themselves.” He praised the resilience of the PMOI/MEK, stating that the movement is “stronger, more inspired, and more powerful than ever.”

Other notable speakers included former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt and former UK House Speaker John Bercow. Verhofstadt, a prominent European voice, emphasised that the “massive presence” of Iranians was proof of a democratic alternative, urging Europe to abandon its failed strategy of appeasement.

A Call for Change: Thousands of Iranians Protest in Brussels

Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a former Vice President of the European Parliament who survived an assassination attempt by Iranian agents, told the crowd that he was a “proud soldier” in their ranks, affirming that the struggle for a free Iran is a battle for human dignity.

The size and scale of the Brussels rally sent a clear signal to both Tehran and the world. While the regime’s state-controlled media initially tried to ignore the event before launching a discrediting propaganda campaign, the protest was widely covered by independent news outlets.

Observers noted that the organized nature of the rally underscored the strength and institutional capacity of the Iranian resistance, which has been consistently targeted by Tehran. In a time of escalating executions and widespread domestic unrest, the Brussels demonstration served as a powerful testament to the Iranian people’s enduring will to achieve freedom and democracy, with the diaspora acting as a vital voice for those silenced within Iran’s borders.

11-09-2025

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