On Monday, May 25th, the Guardian reported that supporters of Reza Pahlavi were clashing with those of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) in the streets of London.
Daniel Boffey, the chief reporter of the Guardian begins the report with an aggressive rap demonstration made by a Pahlavi supporter, named Mohraz in London. In his music show, this monarchist is pretending to shoot the paramilitary organization known as Basij in Iran and the IRGC referred to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the MEK.
Boffey asserts that the aggressive drill music made by Mohraz, is only the most public evidence of a battle being played out on the streets of London that is not between supporters and opponents of the Iranian government but instead, within the opposition.
“It is a clash that has been electrified by the hopes raised by the US and Israeli military action over the past three months, but is now posing a headache for British police, as well as being a source of anxiety for the Iranian diaspora touched by it,” The Gurdian reporter states. “Scuffles at protests against Tehran’s regime, often requiring police intervention, have been attributed to tensions between the sparring sides, raising the concerns that matters could escalate.”
The journalist refers to other “battles” taken place among Iranian opposition in exile including the Nowruz celebration. He tries to cover the opinions from both sides. Ray (Mohammad Reza) Torabi, former child soldier of the MEK is one of those interviewed by Boffey.
According to the author, Ray Torabi, 44, who lives in Cologne, was once a member of the MEK but today regards Pahlavi as a potential transitional leader in Iran. He said he recognised that there were extremists among the supporters of the shah’s son but that it was not the full story.
He told Boffey: “One thing you can differentiate between the Pahlavi crowd and the MEK crowd is because the MEK is a cult, they have complete control over their supporters, their members, and you know they’re very well organised.”
“That’s why you really don’t see the feeling falling out of line and then doing things, but on the other hand, the Pahlavi crowd, they’re not organised the same way; they’re not a cult, they’re individuals, they’re people who, a lot of them, they see Pahlavi as the only hope for Iran. There’s a group that are really extremists, and then they really worship Pahlavi. Sometimes they take it too far.”
The deep competition between the two groups who claim they want to bring peace and democracy for Iran, indicates that they are thriving to grab the opportunity to gain some more credibility among Iranian public opinion. But, it seems that both groups have lost the game.
The MEK’s five-decade record and the Pahlavi’s past monarchy have left Iranians with memoirs and experiences of violence and treason. What Massoud Rajavi literally did, Reza Pahlavi advocates for: war for Iran and bloodshed of Iranians. Iran does not need such an opposition.
Mazda Parsi
