𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Boris Johnson this afternoon launched a furious attack on France, accusing it of “cravenly bowing” to Iran’s hardline regime after authorities banned a major pro-democracy rally in Paris. The former Prime Minister had been due to address an estimated 100,000 supporters of the Iranian opposition at a mass demonstration in the French capital before a Paris court ordered the event cancelled at the last minute. The decision sparked chaotic scenes as thousands of demonstrators who had already gathered in the city found themselves confronted by large numbers of riot police.

Eye-witnesses claimed tear gas was used against protesters. At least 20 people were reportedly arrested and a dozen others suffered serious injuries. Despite the ban, opposition leaders and international political figures later regrouped at the Paris headquarters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), where Mr Johnson delivered a blistering speech condemning both the Iranian regime and the French authorities.

Speaking to supporters, the former Conservative leader said he was “shocked and disappointed” by the decision to stop the rally, dismissing official explanations as “absolute nonsense”.

He said: “We know the truth. We know why we’ve been prevented from having a proper rally of the kind that was two months in preparation.

“The French government has bowed cravenly, has capitulated to a regime in Tehran that tortures and kills its opponents on an industrial scale.”

It had been reported that a Paris court said two credible bomb threats had been received but Johnson mocked suggestions public safety concerns justified the cancellation. Other concerns voiced by the authorities were the high temperatures and the possibility of counter-demonstrations.

He told the audience that organisers had first been informed the event posed a risk because of high temperatures before later being told there were fears of counter-demonstrations and disorder.

“Would we be put off by a bit of heat? Of course not.

“Then we had this cock and bull story this morning that there was some threat of a counter-demonstration or violence. What absolute nonsense.”

The former Prime Minister claimed pressure from Tehran lay behind the decision and accused French officials of placing diplomatic considerations above democratic freedoms.

He argued that suppressing opposition voices was particularly dangerous at a time when Iran faced growing internal unrest and mounting international scrutiny.

“It would be wrong at any time to suppress a legitimate, principled demonstration of political opposition to the regime in Tehran,” he said.

“But it is doubly wrong now at this absolutely critical moment because we need to hear the voices of opposition to that regime.”

Mr Johnson reserved some of his strongest criticism for Iran’s rulers, accusing them of overseeing decades of repression, executions and regional instability.

He referenced the mass killing of political prisoners in 1988 and condemned the treatment of women and dissidents under the Islamic Republic.

The former Prime Minister argued that genuine political change could not be imposed from abroad and must ultimately come from the Iranian people themselves.

He compared the current situation to historic democratic movements that brought down apartheid in South Africa and communist regimes across Eastern Europe.

“Change must come from within,” he said.

“And it will come from within.

“It will come because the people of Iran, a brilliant, young, highly educated people, will want to choose a different future for themselves and their families.”

Mr Johnson predicted that one day Iran would be reintegrated into the international community and once again take its place among the world’s leading nations.

He also used his speech to praise the historic contribution of Persian civilisation to world culture, science and government.

In a light-hearted reference to Donald Trump, Mr Johnson said he disagreed with any suggestion that Iranian civilisation could ever be destroyed.

“You can’t destroy Iranian civilisation because it made our civilisation,” he said.

Referring to Persian contributions to mathematics, communications and systems of government, he added: “Iran, Persia, has given so much to our civilisation.”

The rally was organised by the NCRI, one of the most prominent Iranian opposition groups operating outside the country.

The organisation’s President-elect, Maryam Rajavi, used the gathering to declare that Iran’s ruling establishment was entering its final phase and insisted the regime’s downfall was inevitable.

In a strongly-worded address, Mrs Rajavi said the succession arrangements surrounding Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s family reflected weakness rather than strength.

She described the current leadership as a “crumbling edifice” and declared that “this is the regime’s final stop”.

Addressing officials in Tehran directly, she warned: “Whichever path you choose, uprising and overthrow await you.”

Mrs Rajavi argued that neither war nor negotiations had succeeded in resolving the challenge posed by the Islamic Republic.

Instead, she said lasting peace could only be achieved through democratic change led by the Iranian people themselves.

“The overthrow of this regime is the responsibility of the Iranian people and their organised Resistance,” she said.

“A peaceful, non-nuclear Iran is possible only through the overthrow of this regime by the Iranian people and their organised Resistance.”

She also called for any future international agreement involving Tehran to include guarantees protecting political prisoners and protesters from execution.

The opposition leader insisted that democratic forces inside Iran were stronger than many Western governments realised and pointed to recent anti-government demonstrations and resistance operations as evidence of growing unrest.

The cancellation of the Paris rally is likely to fuel further criticism of President Macron’s approach towards Iran at a time when European governments are attempting to balance diplomatic engagement with concerns over human rights and regional security.

For Mr Johnson, however, the issue was straightforward.

“If the voices of freedom are to be heard in Iran,” he told supporters, “then we in the West must allow those voices of freedom to be heard in our capitals and around the world.”

Ending his speech to loud applause, the former Prime Minister predicted that Iran would one day become a free nation and expressed hope that future gatherings would no longer need to take place in exile.

“There will be a free Iran,” he said.

“Next year, if not at Villepinte, then let’s next year meet in Tehran.”