OPINION:
PARIS, June 21, 2026 — Despite a last-minute ban imposed by the French authorities, nearly 50,000 Iranians gathered in Paris on Saturday for the “Free Iran 2026 – Onward to a Democratic Republic” rally, protesting the escalating wave of executions in Iran and expressing support for Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan for a democratic republic.
Some 100,000 people had originally been expected to attend the rally, before being banned following reports by French security services that it faced “the risk of a major attack by the Iranian regime or the remnants of the Shah’s regime who maintain “an internal security service known as SAVAK,” and had allegedly threatened to plant a bomb should the demonstration be authorized.
The following day, the annual Free Iran World Summit brought together more than 100 former heads of government, ministers, current parliamentarians, diplomats, senior military commanders, and political leaders from Europe and North America, who delivered a united message in support of the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom and rejected both the ruling theocracy and any return to dictatorship.
Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jeanne Shahin (D-NH), and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), sent video messages in support of the Free Iran rally and the Free Iran World Summit 2026.
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