Students join debate on Iranian Green movement

Photo Credit: Ines Ward

A heated debate took place on the future of Iran in Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, on Wednesday, during a meeting organized by the Don’t Attack Iran movement. The polemic arose when audience members discussed western interference in Iranian affairs and the risk of sanctions.

More than 150 people were present in the small church, a number of which were foreign students and members of the Iranian diaspora. The crowd gathered in a semi circle around the three speakers and the meeting moderator.

The meeting started with an intervention by Professor Ali Ansari, who teaches Iranian History at the University of St Andrews. He underlined the futility of sanctions against Iran and amongst others, said that having Ahmadinejad as President was punishment enough, as he has dilapidated the country’s economy. He also spoke of the resistance movement in Iran, as a civil rights movement fighting for basic human rights such as freedom of expression, and not necessarily aimed at toppling the Islamic Regime.

“Last advice to Western Governments, stand still and watch. Iranians know best what to do”, said Ali Fatholla-Nejad the next speaker, from the University of Westminster, who presented the Green Movement as “a continuation of the democratic struggle of the past 100 years”. Lindsay German from the Stop the War Coalition then spoke against western interference in developing nations.

The debate was then opened to the floor, and the debate began to heat up. Some participants started on endless passionate monologues about the imperialist agenda of the west, the woes of capitalism and the like. They were often interrupted by other participants with shouts of “What about the human rights” or “stinking counter revolution”. One man was repeatedly told by the moderator that he would have to leave if he refused to remain silent and let others speak.

Despite the disagreements, the majority of the audience greeted Lindsay German’s closing statement with a round of applause, “If you put your faith in the US and the UK to solve your internal democratic problems that is not going to happen”.