Friday 26 June 2009

Solidarity with Iranian workers, 26 June 2009 - report

I've posted some pictures on Flickr, that I took at today's protest outside the Iranian embassy in London, calling for 'Justice for Iranian Workers'. Apologies for too many pictures of Martin Mayer, Unite's busworkers rep, but the union has done a lot of work supporting the Vahed busworkers' union in Tehran, and its jailed leader Mansour Osanloo.

The protest, London's contribution to an international day of action, was organised by the TUC, Ammesty International and the International Transport Federation. The guy enterprising enough to bring along a megaphone was Sam from a rather more left-wing organisation!

The main organisers brought 16,000 signatures (signed postcards) calling for Iran to respect trade union rights - human rights - but the embassy refused to take delivery. In the past, they have received such things, but in the present climate they have become more uptight... or hardline. The TUC's video of the event is on YouTube.

There is a protest organised by one Iranian group or another every day outside the embassy at the moment, and an aptly macabre display of pictures of demonstrators killed, candles, bunches of flowers, posters with slogans, etc. A lot of the images, especially the formal pictures of Neda Soltan, the young bystander shot dead by basij militia, are very like what you would see in Iran at a shia'a shrine commemorating someone who has died.

1 comment:

Rog T said...

I hate theocracy. Any shape or form. Where ever religion rule politics you get crap government. I have no problems with religion, just the ******* who use it as a way of enforcing **** on the poor ***** who have to suffer it's consequences.

Pray at home. Win us over with your ideals & example, not your guns, fists & clubs. If you can't win that way, your religion is ****