Demonstrators gathered outside Downing Street in London this Sunday, voicing solidarity with the protest movement currently engulfing Iran. The rally, attended by British Iranians and exiles, expressed a growing belief that the theocratic rule of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could be nearing its end.
Female Activists Lead the Charge for a New Iran
At the forefront of this movement in the UK are female activists, mirroring the leadership of women within Iran itself. Diana Nammi, 62, a veteran campaigner against autocracy now based in London, highlighted the disparity. "In Europe, women are running countries. Women in Iran deserve that. They have always been a leading part of the resistance," she stated.
Laila Jazayeri, director of the Association of Anglo-Iranian Women in the UK, was among those protesting. She articulated a vision for a future Iran, telling the crowd, "A pluralistic, a secular, a non-nuclear Iranian republic, it is achievable. The people of Iran are fed up of monarchical and clerical dictatorship."
Hope, Leadership, and the Shadow of the Past
Jazayeri expressed strong support for Maryam Rajavi, the dissident politician whom many hope could become modern Iran's first female leader. "This time it's different because the uprising is well-organised," Jazayeri argued. "And we have a leadership, an alternative ready to take over. A woman is leading this resistance, Maryam Rajavi. She has a progressive 10-point plan for a free, democratic Iran."
However, hope is tempered with anxiety. Diana Nammi, who leads the women's rights organisation IKWRO, last spoke to relatives in Iranian Kurdistan three days ago before communications were severed by an internet shutdown. "I am, of course, worried about everyone in Iran and in Kurdistan because they are living under a very, very dangerous regime," she said.
Nammi, a socialist who fought against the Shah's regime before opposing the current theocracy, also voiced concern about the potential return of royalist figures like Reza Pahlavi, the son of the deposed Shah. "Of course, Pahlavi may have some people who want him, but it is maybe something western countries want... what's important for me is what people inside Iran want," she added.
Calls for International Action and Fears of Interference
The activists' calls for international support are nuanced. Jazayeri, whose husband was killed by the regime in 1988, urged the UK government to proscribe Iran's Revolutionary Guards and recognise the right of Iranians to self-defence. She noted that former US President Donald Trump's "firm stance" had boosted morale, but clarified, "We want the west to stand firm behind Iranian people. But that doesn't mean boots on the ground."
This sentiment was echoed by Tehran-born actor Nazanin Boniadi, who warned on Sky News that support must be concrete. "The last thing we need is for people to be emboldened to go into the streets because they think they're going to get that support and then that support doesn't come."
Conversely, Diana Nammi expressed nervousness about Western intervention. "Whenever western countries interfere, the country becomes unstable, war continues and it is more oppression for people," she said. "I think it's better for western countries not to interfere at all and let people in Iran decide for themselves."
The protest movement inside Iran is reported to have spread to 192 cities, with hundreds reported killed and thousands detained. For the exiles in London, the moment feels historic. "This time millions of people come to the street," Nammi said, expressing hope for a fundamental revolution, not just a change of leadership, after nearly five decades of oppression.
