Support the Iranian people, oppose Tehran’s clerical fascism

international | anti-war / imperialism | other press

Tuesday March 03, 2009 17:09

by Peter Tatchell

Peter Tatchell writes on the need for principled solidarity with Iran: Support the People of Iran against US Imperialism. But also against the Theocratic Regime. Full text at link.

Principled, consistent left-wingers do not base their politics on the unprincipled, inconsistent geo-political manoeuvres of western powers. We stand with the oppressed against their oppressors, regardless of what the west (or anyone else) demands or threatens. US sabre-rattling against Iran is worrying. A military attack must be resisted. However, opposition to Washington’s war-mongering and neo-imperial designs is no reason for socialists, greens and other progressives to go soft on Tehran.

Tehran’s tyrannical religious state embodies many (though not all) the characteristics of classical fascism: a substantially corporatist political and economic system maintained by a highly centralised repressive state apparatus. This repression includes bans on non-Islamist political parties and free trade unions, and a regime of unfair trials, detention without charge, torture, executions, media censorship, gender apartheid, violent suppression of peaceful protests and strikes, and the persecution of left-wingers, students, feminists, journalists, gay people and religious and ethnic minorities. Even lawyers and human rights defenders - are imprisoned and tortured.

save preference

Comments (2 of 2)

I would agree to some military action

by Obama Supporter

Tue Mar 03, 2009 23:46

Sorry I admire Peter Thatchell.But I once read a comment by the Dalai Lama.Where he said sometimes there is a Just war.
Like The Allied Forces against Germany or the war to save Kosovo.

I feel Obama has said lets have peace.The ball is in Tehran.I know the cynical will say oh it for oil.The fact is Obama will make america lot less dependent on oil.I feel that if America does attack Iran it will try diplomacy first.Which the EU has been trying for years and getting no where.

Iran is a threat to Europe.Though most know it would attack Israel first.Whatever our opinions on Israel.Their is no control from a nuclear bomb.It will affect Jordan and Lebanon and Gaza too.Plus I feel we should all have learnt from Hiroshama.Nuclear weapons should not exist.

The fact is that Obama.Will never get UN agreement for even sanctions as China and Russia will block it.Just like it blocks action for Darfur.The UN lacks so much credibilty in my eyes,When it has countries like China and Russia.Who daily abuse human rights on the Security Council.But dont get me wrong I prefer the UN to nothing.Sometimes I wish.A new union of democratic states led by countries like New Zealand was stronger than the UN.
The UN does not even expel members who continue to breach its laws.It has no power to enforce them.Look at Burma.A failure on the UN's part,RwanaDa and Darfur are another failure to add to the list.

Though I opposed the war in Iraq.I do believe a strong arguement will have to come out to persuade me .Military action against Iran is wrong.Obama has inherited a disaster in Iraq and Afghanistan and I surely think it will be a long time before they would even think of striking Iran.

Well thats my view

If people have others I would like to hear them

case for war

by John Carter

Thu Apr 02, 2009 14:49

I oppose the war in Iraq as well . It allowed the Tehran regime to get the stranglehold in Iraq that they had been so long been looking for . But that’s history now ,it’s time we started to look to the chance of peace that Obama seems to be offering for the region .
Since the much-needed change of government , US diplomacy has , in my opinion , skillfully succeeded in putting the ball in the court of the clerical-fascist mullahs . It’s important that progressive forces in the west keep putting the pressure on them as well .
As Peter Tatchell argues above , if Iran ceased to be an Islamo-fascist state , the case for war would be seriously weakened .
“They would no longer have the excuse that Iran is a terroristic, fundamentalist, anti-semitic dictatorship that is striving to develop nuclear weapons and which poses a serious threat to international peace and security.”

Upcoming Events

New Events

Other Press

User Preferences

Feeds

Blog Feeds

Anti-Empire

The Saker

Lockdown Skeptics

Voltaire Network

Support the Iranian people, oppose Tehran’s clerical fascism

Comments (2 of 2)