September 12 Berlin: Protest against the Al-Quds-Day 2009

The Mideast Freedom Forum Berlin supports the protest against the Islamic and anti-Semitic Al-Quds-day in Berlin. The protest will take place on September 12, 2.00 p.m., on the crossing of Knesebeckstr./Kurfürstendamm (near U1 Uhlandstr.).

The Persian version of the call for protests can be found here.

Stop the Islamic Republics propaganda – No Al-Quds day!

Annually, an ideological march is organised in Teheran by the "Islamic Republic of Iran" to celebrate the so-called Al-Quds day. At the same time, demonstrations are organized by Hezbollah in Beirut and by Hamas in Gaza, and the fundamentalist ideology of the Islamic Republic is propagated by rallies taking place worldwide. During the Al-Quds demonstration in Berlin, demonstrators have repeatedly made use of symbols pertaining to terrorist organisations.

The Islamic Republic was founded in Iran thirty years ago. The regime perpetrated an anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli policy from its very inception. Thus, Ayatollah Khomeini called upon his followers to demonstrate for the "liberation" of Jerusalem and the destruction of Israel on the last Friday of each Ramadan fasting month. By means of their ideological and logistical support to the terrorist organizations Hezbollah and Hamas, the Islamic Republic actively promulgates Middle East violence, utilizing the Palestinians' situation to legitimize, continue and re-establish their own forceful rulership.

The ideology of the Islamic Republic constitutes a blatant contradiction to democracy and universal human rights. President Ahmadinejad's statements, the denial of the Holocaust and the explicit intention to destroy Israel in a genocidal war have been part of this state's doctrine and of the daily propaganda perpetrated by the Islamic Republic.

Under the Islamic Republic's regime, the people of Iran are being denied the right of self-determination motivated by sexist, racist, religious and political reasons. The raw violence and indifference observed in the regime's response to demonstrations as well as its inhumane oppression of political opposition since the "elections" held in June this year have been characteristic of the regime's practices ever since 1979. The regime's response is becoming increasingly brutal as the peoples' demands to claim their basic rights become more evident.

During the past 30 years, German politics and industry have contributed to the strengthening of the Iranian regime. The so-called "constructive" or "critical" dialogue has failed to fulfill all expectations, on the contrary, it gave the regime the time it needed in order to continue developing its nuclear program, and even conferred upon it a false sense of legitimacy – which it has been losing increasingly from the interior. Business with Iran has often directly strengthened this dehumanizing regime.

If those Iranian forces that strive to secular democracy and human rights are to be supported, and if the existence of the State of Israel is to be guaranteed, a fundamental reform of ourpolicy toward Iran is essential.

Therefore, it is essential that the German government

  • Prevent economical support of German companies to the Islamic Republic
  • Reduce diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic to a minimum, and cease rendering it legitimacy
  • Impede, using all means available, the presence and development in Germany of terrorist organizations linked to the Islamic Republic
  • Initiate international legal prosecution of the Islamic Republic's leadership for preparing and instigating genocide

and that German enterprises begin assuming what is their ethical and moral responsibility, canceling all business deals that are supportive of the Islamic Republic.

We invite all, including the Senate, government and all democratic political parties as well as all key players in civil society, to join us in demonstration on the 12th of September at Knesebeckestraße (on the junction with Kurfürstendamm, adjacent to the Uhlandstraße subway station):

Support the freedom movement in Iran! Stand up against the antisemitic propaganda of the Al-Quds day!

Group of initiators:

  • haKadima - Bildungswerk für Demokratie und Kultur e.V.
  • Jüdische Gemeinde zu Berlin
  • Green Party of Iran - Deutschland
  • Amadeu-Antonio-Stiftung
  • Deutsch-Israelische Gesellschaft (DIG), Arbeitsgruppe Berlin/Potsdam 
  • Jüdisches Forum für Demokratie und gegen Antisemitismus
  • Stop the Bomb
  • Bund der Verfolgten des Naziregimes Berlin e.V. (BVN)
  • Mideast Freedom Forum Berlin (MFFB)

The list with the further supporters can be found here.