By Khalida Sarwari
Amid honking cars and placards depicting gruesome images of Iranian protesters, members of the Iranian-American community sang, chanted, and flashed peace signs this afternoon in an assembly of solidarity with the Iranian citizens challenging the country’s recent presidential election results.
San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who is of Iranian descent, opened the news conference on the steps of City Hall with an impassioned quote by George Orwell: “During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”
Mirkarimi has submitted a resolution to the Board of Supervisors to be voted upon at today’s Board meeting that expressed support for the people of Iran who are working to secure their democratic rights to transparent self-governance and urged the Iranian government to respect its people’s right to peaceful protest.
Mirkarimi encouraged the crowd to continue to capitalize on technologies like Twitter and Facebook “to make sure that the people of Iran are supported and that Neda’s death is not in vain,” alluding to Neda Soltan, an Iranian woman in her mid-20s who was reportedly killed during a recent protest in Iran.
The gathering, Mirkarimi said, was an affirmation of the community’s support for the men and women who have risked their lives to pursue basic, fundamental rights such as freedom of speech and a fair election.
He called upon American elected officials to not confuse a policy of restraint with a policy of indifference with Iran. President Obama has faced criticism for not taking a more outspoken stance on the disputed reelection of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on June 12 and the ensuing violent protests in Iran.
A large group of green-clad protesters spilled onto the street holding signs that read, “My eyes are set on freedom,” “Stop the killing in Iran,” and “Where is my vote?” and chanting “God bless Iran.”
Roshan Pourabdollah, an organizer of Iranian Society for Human Rights and a San Francisco resident, said, “This is no longer about the election, it’s a human rights issue. We need to get our voices heard.”
Hossein Kamrani, a retired civil engineer and a resident of Alameda who has lived in the United States for 34 years, said, “We would like to have our freedom. We want America to condemn their barbaric behavior.”
Mehdi Nikfarjam, a Fremont resident who works in the financial sector, said, “After 30 years of oppression, finally people rise up for freedom. Mir Hossein Mousavi was a tool for people to raise their voice.”