From: European Conservative. (Photo: Danial Dez/Unsplash)
Hundreds of Iranian nationals gathered in the centre of The Hague and on the Dam in Amsterdam over the weekend to celebrate the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in attacks carried out by U.S. and Israeli forces. In Amsterdam, bottles of champagne were opened and sweets were distributed among the crowd.
Many participants carried the Persian flag bearing the ancient Lion and Sun symbol, removed by the Islamic Republic after the 1979 Revolution.
“We’re not happy about war, of course, but this is the only option,” activist Nastaran Beik Pourian said, adding “We need other countries.”
Pejman Akbarzadeh, director of the Persian Dutch Network, said that while the Islamic regime in Tehran had declared 40 days of national mourning, what he observed among many inside the country and in the diaspora “feels more like 40 days of national celebration.” He compared the moment to fighting a cancerous tumour for years with no result and then suddenly being told it is gone, expressing hope that it marks the beginning of freedom for Iran and its people.
Many in Amsterdam held photos of Reza Pahlavi, the former crown prince, whom some consider the most prominent opposition leader. Farzad, an engineer living in the Dutch capital, said it may sound strange to celebrate the killing of a dictator by the United States and Israel during wartime, but argued that Khamenei was responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians in Iran.
In Brussels, more than 1,500 people gathered in central areas at the initiative of the Iranian diaspora in Belgium and Europe. Around 1,600 people attended, according to police, including Belgian political figures. Demonstrators marched after speeches expressing solidarity with the Iranian people. Israeli and American flags were visible in the crowd. “We sincerely hope this will also be the end of the regime,” said Parnian Robatsarpooshi.