Reza Pahlavi, the Iranian opposition leader, received the Freedom Award on Saturday in Frankfurt, located in the state of Hesse, Germany. The ceremony took place at St. Paul's Church, which hosted the first elected parliament of Germany, known as the Frankfurt Assembly, from 1848 to 1849.
Widespread Support for Reza Pahlavi
According to the police, around 18,000 people attended the event to show their support for Reza Pahlavi. Pahlavi, the son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran who went into exile after the 1979 revolution, delivered a speech at the ceremony.
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Reza Pahlavi's Message on Democracy
Pahlavi emphasized in his speech that Iran is not a country waiting for a lesson in democracy, but rather a country that has been denied the practice of it. He stated, "People who are ready to die for the right to vote are eager to exercise that right." He also referenced the massacre of thousands during the January protests, saying, "You could not choose a people who understand the meaning of the word freedom better than them."
Pahlavi received the award from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, which is affiliated with the Free Democratic Party. He also stated that he accepted the award as a "trustee" and would hold it until a democratically elected government comes to power in Iran. He said, "One day I will hand it over to its rightful owners, not in foreign soil but in the capital, Tehran."
During the ceremony, the crowd chanted slogans such as "Long live the Shah, long live Iran!" Pahlavi had previously suggested that he would lead a temporary government in the event of a democratic transition and stated that he does not intend to use this position to restore the monarchy, but would leave the decision to a future referendum.
However, some critics have condemned him for his explicit support of Israel and his inability to distance himself from his father's autocratic regime. About 200 prisoners in Iran signed a letter protesting Pahlavi's receipt of the award, describing him as a symbol of an "expired dictatorship."
The Frankfurt branches of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Green Party boycotted the event, stating that he cannot be considered a legitimate representative of the Iranian people. Meanwhile, the Socialist Left Party stated that the church cannot be used as a venue for this event, as Frankfurt's city laws prohibit the use of religious sites for political gatherings.
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