Paris, February 8, 2025 – Thousands of Iranians and supporters of Iran’s Resistance gathered in Paris, demanding democratic change in Iran. Marking the anniversary of the 1979 revolution, the rally sent a strong message rejecting both monarchy and theocracy, calling for a secular, democratic republic.
Our reporter spoke with several figures at the event, including former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, who has long advocated for a firm European stance against the Iranian regime. In our conversation, he emphasized that the era of appeasement must end, and decisive action must be taken against the ruling clerics in Tehran.
“We have to stop the complacency strategy that we have followed for so many years and maybe now is a good moment to do that. Why? Because there is a new administration in Europe, a new High Representative, and a new Commission. At the same time, there is also a change in America with a new administration. So, I think it’s a good moment to get rid of this very wrong strategy of complacency and to start to have a real tough attitude towards the Mullahs’ regime, especially by applying the different sanctions that are foreseen in the different resolutions of the United Nations.”
Simay Azadi’s reporter pointed out that in 2024 alone, the Iranian regime executed nearly 1,000 people, many of them under the so-called “moderate” president. Verhofstadt dismissed the idea that moderation exists within the regime.
“Well, that doesn’t exist—a moderate president, I think, in Iran. I think for years they have told us, yeah, there can maybe be a split in the regime. But nobody can believe that. The executions continue with the actual president, and there is only one good solution. There’s a solution that arrives everywhere in the world… That is a democratic era. That is what we need, and the end of the theocracy that exists today.”
When asked about the message of the rally and the thousands gathered to reject dictatorship in all forms, Verhofstadt was clear in his response.
“I think it’s mainly a message to the European leadership to change their strategy the fastest as possible and to stop the complacency that we have seen the last years.”
His Message Echoed in His Speech at the Rally
Earlier in the day, Verhofstadt addressed the rally, reinforcing these points and drawing comparisons with other global struggles against dictatorship.
“2025 will be a pivotal year because it will be the year of change in Iran—the year of liberation from the totalitarian rule of the Mullahs.”
He pointed to broader shifts in the region and the world that signal an opportunity for real change.
“The Iranian people have had enough and continue to rise up against the Mullahs. In the region surrounding Iran, something has profoundly changed: it is the end of the proxies of the Mullahs.”
In his speech, as in his interview, he called for a complete shift in strategy, moving away from decades of European complacency.
“There is, in reality, only one solution for Iran: to give the Iranian people a voice, to let them shape their own future, and to recognize that the Iranian opposition and resistance are their true representatives.”