Standing in Solidarity with the Iranian People

Martyn Day, SNP Candidate for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, has issued a statement of support for the Iranian opposition and their struggle for freedom and democracy.

In his message, Martyn said:

“I want to express my strong support for the people of Iran and for the rally taking place on 6 September.

The Iranian people’s struggle is not only against one dictatorship but against all forms of dictatorship – whether under the Shah or the mullahs. Their demand is clear: a free, democratic, and secular republic.

I back Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan as a credible democratic alternative – one built on human rights, gender equality, the abolition of the death penalty, separation of religion and state, and a non-nuclear Iran.

I wish to pay tribute to the extraordinary courage of the Resistance Units inside Iran, who continue to keep alive the spirit of freedom and justice in the face of repression and great personal risk.

On this important occasion, I stand with you in solidarity – confident that the Iranian people will prevail in their struggle for liberty and justice.”

Foreign interference has long distorted Iran’s path to democracy. In 1953, the UK’s MI6 and the US’s CIA orchestrated the coup that toppled the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, restoring the Shah’s authoritarian rule. Decades later, in 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Tehran on a chartered Air France flight, and what began as a popular revolution for freedom was ultimately hijacked by theocratic dictatorship. These episodes stand as stark reminders of the dangers of outside powers imposing their will on nations striving for democracy.

Martyn added that these lessons are not just international but have relevance closer to home:

“The Iranian people’s struggle shows what can happen when political and religious freedoms are not protected. It is a stark warning against those in the UK who want to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights and roll back hard-won liberties.

And it underlines why Scotland must have its own voice in the world. With independence, Scotland will no longer have our views filtered through a Westminster prism, but will be able to stand up for democracy, justice, and human rights on the global stage.”