6 Figures: Paris Crunches Numbers of Protesters and Iranian Mullahs Don’t like the Math
The numbers are climbing. Paris is quickly becoming ground zero for more than 100,000 people to call for an end to the Iranian Regime, just one day after the Peace Treaty is signed in Geneva, Switzerland. As thousands of Iranians from across Europe, North America, and Scandinavia converge on Paris this week, one message is becoming impossible to ignore: the future of Iran will not be decided by foreign powers, military intervention, or a return to the past; it will be decided by the Iranian people.
On Saturday, June 20, just one day after the peace treaty signing in Geneva, Place Vauban in Paris will host one of the largest gatherings of the Iranian opposition in recent years under the banner, “Free Iran 2026 – Onward to a Democratic Republic.”
NCRI Speakers Available:
Alireza Jafarzadeh: Deputy Director of NCRI
Shahin Gobadi: Member of NCRI Parliament in Exile
Ali Safavi: Member of NCRI Parliament in Exile
Dr. Kazem Kazerounian: Iranian American Engineer
Shirin Nariman: Former Political Prisoner in Iran
Homeira Hesami: Former Political Prisoner in Iran
Col. Wesley Martin (Ret): Worked with MEK at Camp Ashraf
Senator Robert Torricelli: Former U.S. Senator
Ambassador Robert Joseph: Special Envoy Nuclear Nonproliferation
**Other Speakers, to include former Political Prisoners in Iran available upon request**
Organizers report that at least 800 buses are transporting participants from across Europe, while thousands more are arriving by train and air from the United States, Canada, and throughout Scandinavia. More than 320 Iranian associations have mobilized supporters for what is expected to be a massive demonstration calling for democratic change in Iran.
- Thousands gather in Paris demanding a democratic republic in Iran.
- Demonstrators reject both monarchy and clerical dictatorship.
- Over 3,000 global leaders endorse democratic change in Iran.
- Protesters reject appeasement and foreign military intervention.
- Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan offers a democratic alternative.
The event comes at a pivotal moment. As conflict and instability continue to dominate headlines, participants will argue that neither decades of Western appeasement nor military confrontation have solved the crisis created by Tehran’s ruling clerics. Instead, demonstrators will advocate for what they describe as a third option: regime change led by the Iranian people and their organized resistance movement.
The demonstration will also send a clear message that Iranians reject both forms of dictatorship that have defined the country’s modern history—the former Shah’s autocracy and the current religious dictatorship. Protesters will rally behind a democratic alternative based on the Ten-Point Plan proposed by Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which calls for free elections, gender equality, separation of religion and state, judicial independence, and a non-nuclear Iran.
Adding to the significance of the event, more than 3,000 former government leaders, parliamentarians, legislators, senior officials, and public figures from 55 countries have endorsed a statement supporting a democratic republic in Iran and rejecting both monarchical and clerical rule. More than 100 of those international signatories are expected to participate in the Paris gathering.
NCRI representatives are available to discuss why this demonstration matters now, the growing international support for democratic change in Iran, the regime’s use of war and regional conflict to suppress domestic dissent, and what a viable democratic transition could look like after the fall of the current regime.
With Iran once again at the center of global attention, the Paris demonstration may offer a glimpse of the alternative millions of Iranians have been demanding for decades.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE NCRI WEBSITE
Relevant Article(s):
The Blogs: Why are 100,000 Gathering in Paris on June 20th? | David Weissman | The Times of Israel
NCRI Supporters Mount Week of Coordinated Global Defiance Against Tehran’s Execution Drive – NCRI
GOOGLE NEWS UPDATES ON THIS HUGE EVENT
place vauban paris – Google Search
OPTIONAL Q&A:
- Why are thousands of Iranians traveling from around the world to Paris now?
- What message does the June 20 demonstration send to Tehran?
- Why do protesters reject both the Shah’s dictatorship and the current regime?
- What is Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan and why is it gaining support?
- Why do organizers say appeasement and military intervention have both failed?
- How strong is international support for a democratic republic in Iran?
- What role can the Iranian Resistance play in a peaceful democratic transition?
- What would regime change by the Iranian people look like in practice?
ABOUT ALIREZA JAFARZADEH…
Alireza Jafarzadeh serves as the Deputy Director of the Washington Office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). He is also the author of The Iran Threat (Palgrave MacMillan, New York, 2008).
A recognized expert on Iranian policy, Jafarzadeh has been at the forefront of efforts to prevent the Iranian regime from acquiring nuclear weapons. His groundbreaking work in 2002 and 2003 led to the discovery of key illicit nuclear sites in Iran, including the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, the Arak heavy water plant, the Kalaye Electric centrifuge testing facility near Tehran, and the Lashkar Ab’ad laser enrichment facility. These revelations prompted the first-ever inspections of Iranian nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Jafarzadeh is a frequent guest on major television and radio networks, including CBS Evening News, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, CNBC, Bloomberg TV, and France 24. His insights have also been featured in leading publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Time, and The Hill.
ABOUT SHAHIN GOBADI…
Shahin Gobadi, a U.S.-educated nuclear engineer, is a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Iran’s Parliament-in-Exile.
An astute observer of Iranian affairs for over three decades, Gobadi is an expert on topics including Iranian state-sponsored terrorism, proxy groups in the Middle East, the Iranian nuclear and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs, Western policy toward Iran, and internal Iranian affairs.
He has been interviewed by major international media outlets, including CNN, Fox News, BBC, Sky TV, GB News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, Reuters, and the Associated Press. Gobadi’s writings have appeared in prominent media across the U.S. and Europe.
ABOUT ALI SAFAVI…
Ali Safavi is a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Iran’s Parliament-in-Exile.
A sociologist by training, Safavi studied and taught at UCLA, California State University Los Angeles, and the University of Michigan. He was an active participant in the anti-Shah student movement in the 1970s in the United States and has been deeply engaged in Iranian affairs ever since.
Safavi has lectured and written extensively on Iran, Iraq, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and Middle Eastern politics. He has appeared in interviews on networks such as CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, CBS, BBC, Sky TV, Newsmax, and France 24. His articles and commentary have been published in leading outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, The Boston Herald, The Washington Times, and The Financial Times.
ABOUT DR. KAZEM KAZEROUNIAN…
Dr. Kazem Kazerounian is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Connecticut and served as Dean of the College of Engineering from 2012 to 2024.
A passionate advocate for democracy and human rights, Dr. Kazerounian is also an expert on Iran and the Middle East, particularly regarding the Iranian nuclear issue, and human rights situation in Iran. He has contributed widely through scholarly articles, invited talks, and media interviews on regional affairs and the democratic movement in Iran.
Nationally, he has held leadership roles with ASEE and ASME, shaping engineering policy and education. His honors include the ASME Mechanisms and Robotics Award, AIMBE Fellowship, and induction into the Connecticut Academy of Science & Engineering.
An ASME Fellow, his research spans kinematics, robotics, and biomechanics. He has authored over 160 scholarly works and co-founded AcademicKeys.com and AcademicJournal.com, a professional platform and an online journal for academics.
At one point, while Shirin Nariman was a young political prisoner in Iran, she was tortured and buried up to her neck. Today, she is a human rights advocate, and entrepreneur residing in the U.S.
At just 15 years old, during the 1979 Iranian Revolution, she became involved in pro-democracy activities and supported the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). Less than two years later, she was arrested for her activism—becoming one of the youngest political prisoners of her time and enduring severe torture in Evin Prison. Her case drew international attention and intervention from the Red Cross.
During her imprisonment, Shirin witnessed the regime’s brutality firsthand, including the executions of children, elderly women, and pregnant prisoners. After her release, she eventually sought refuge in the United States, where she has dedicated her life to advocating for human rights, women’s rights, and a free, democratic, non-nuclear Iran.
Shirin holds a bachelor’s degree in management information systems and has worked with leading wireless and financial corporations.
ABOUT HOMEIRA HESAMI…
Homeira Hesami was born in 1966 in Iran. At age 16, she graduated from high school with honors but was denied acceptance to Iranian universities due to her political beliefs and activism. Her activism forced her to spend a significant period of time in prison in Iran as a teenager. She was eventually able to immigrate to the United States, where she pursued her education further, obtaining both her Master’s from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.
She has remained active in the political scene to help establish a free, democratic, secular, and non-nuclear Iran. Homeira was a member of the Iranian American Women’s Delegation that attended the World Conferences on Women in Beijing in 1995. She has spoken at the University of Virginia to educate students about the current plight of women in Iran. She has also spoken at The National Convention of Iranian Americans in Washington, D.C., as well as the Texas Convention of Iranian Leaders in Houston, TX. She is married with two children, and working as a medical physicist in Irving, Texas.
ABOUT COL. WESLEY MARTIN…
During his combat tours he served as the senior Antiterrorism/Force Protection Officer for all coalition forces in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom 1 and 2, as Senior Operations Officer for Task Force 134 (Detention Operations), and as Commander of Forward Operating Base Ashraf, working with the Iranian Mujahedin (MEK / NCRI).
As the Antiterrorism Officer in Iraq, Colonel Martin’s “lead from the front, and spend as much time outside the perimeter as possible” style of leadership resulted in blocking Al Qaeda from killing the moderate Shia Grand Ayatollah Sistani and blowing up the Baghdad doctors’ convention. He also prevented the theft of over one thousand Cobalt 60 radioactive sources and an attack on the Baghdad trade fair.
As a captain he served in Field Command, Defense Nuclear Agency as a security inspector of U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force commands throughout the free world. More can be found at www.colonelwesmartin.com
ABOUT ROBERT TORRICELLI…
Senator Robert Torricelli served 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the 9th district of New Jersey until January 1997, when he was elected as Democratic Senator from the state of New Jersey. While in the Congress, he was the leading voice for a free Iran and has been advocate of a free and democratic Iran for the past three decades.
In 1999, he joined the Democratic Leadership as the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Senator Torricelli served in the House Foreign Affairs Committee as the chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.
Senator Torricelli earned his law degree from Rutgers University and completed a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Before becoming a member of the U.S. Congress, Torricelli served as associate counsel to then-Vice President Walter Mondale.
ABOUT AMBASSADOR ROBERT JOSEPH…
Ambassador Robert Joseph was the United States Special Envoy for Nuclear Nonproliferation. Prior to this post, Joseph was the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, a position he held until January 24, 2007. He was Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Proliferation Strategy at the White House.
Ambassador Joseph is known for being instrumental in creating the Proliferation Security Initiative and as the architect of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. He was also the US chief negotiator to Libya in 2003 who convinced Qaddafi to give up Libya’s WMD programs.
TO SCHEDULE AN INTERVIEW, CALL OR TEXT 512-966-0983 OR EMAIL BOOKINGS@SPECIALGUESTS.COM
CONTACT:
Jerry McGlothlin
Special Guests Publicity
919-437-0001
This material is distributed by Special Guests Publicity LLC on behalf of National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) / Media Strategy Consulting LTD. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC.
