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Supporters of exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi staged a large rally in Munich on Saturday, with police saying about 250,000 people demonstrated against Iran’s government on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany. The event followed Pahlavi’s call for “cranked up international pressure on Tehran” as part of a broader push he said would help Iranians in the wake of deadly nationwide protests.
The rally in Munich featured drums, chanting and banners that supporters said were aimed at forcing changes inside Iran. Protesters chanted “Change, change, regime change” and waved green-white-and-red flags with lion and sun emblems, a flag associated with the period before the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the Pahlavi dynasty.
At a news conference, Pahlavi said the world needed to respond to what he described as Iran’s deadly crackdown on protesters last month. He warned that Iran’s government could cause more deaths if democracies did not take action, asking, “Will the world stand with the people of Iran?” and adding that the government’s survival “sends a clear signal to every bully: kill enough people and you stay in power.” In his remarks, he also described the day’s events as a “global day of action” and called for additional demonstrations in Los Angeles and Toronto.
Among political figures photographed with supporters, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina spoke to the crowd in Munich and was seen holding up red “Make Iran Great Again” caps. The demonstrators also chanted “Pahlavi for Iran” and “democracy for Iran” as cymbals and drums played.
Some supporters wore caps and carried placards calling for regime change, including signs that referred to Pahlavi as a king. AP reported that Pahlavi, the son of the former Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, has been in exile for nearly 50 years and is trying to position himself as a political figure for Iran’s future—while protesters said they wanted the Iranian government to be replaced.
Demonstrations connected to the same day of action also took place outside Germany. Toronto Police spokesperson Laura Brabant told AP that about 350,000 people marched on Toronto streets as part of the Global Day of Action Rally, and AP also reported the event included supporters holding Iranian symbols and signs about people killed in Iran during the recent uprising.
Pahlavi’s appeal arrived amid ongoing debate over the scale of casualties from the protests in Iran. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said at least 7,005 people were killed in last month’s protests, including 214 government forces, using a network of activists inside Iran to verify deaths, while Iran’s government said on Jan. 21 that 3,117 people were killed. AP reported it was unable to independently assess the death toll because authorities disrupted internet access and international calls in Iran.
The demonstrations came as U.S. pressure on Tehran intensified. AP reported that Iran was facing renewed pressure from Trump, who has threatened U.S. military action and has said he wants Iran to further scale back its nuclear program, and he suggested Friday that regime change in Iran “would be the best thing that could happen.” In Munich, Iran was also a focus earlier in the day and on Friday at the opening of the security conference, where supporters of the Iranian opposition group People’s Mujahedeen Organization of Iran, also known as the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, demonstrated.
One demonstrator inside Munich, Daniyal Mohtashamian, traveled from Zurich to speak for protesters inside Iran who, he said, faced repression and an internet blackout that left their voices largely inside the country.
As covered by MSI previously on Jan. 9, Iran’s exiled crown prince had already framed the unrest as a challenge to the Islamic Republic in a bid to draw attention abroad, and the Munich rally reflected that strategy continuing into the February protests’ international spotlight.