These days, propaganda machine the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) is focusing on an alleged conference held by the group in a room of the City Hall of a town in Italy, called Cuneo. The event was allegedly attended by a few Italian figures who watched Maryam Rajavi’s speech via video conference.
The phenomenon surrounding the MEK and its political engagement across European municipalities, such as the reported event involving Maryam Rajavi at the City Hall of Cuneo, Italy, highlights a complex intersection of international lobbying, domestic Iranian political aspirations, and European media dynamics. While the MEK and its political umbrella, the so-called National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), actively promote these engagements through their own media channels, mainstream Western media outlets and local Italian press frequently choose to bypass or entirely ignore these events. Furthermore, the Iranian mostly do not care about the group. They actually despise the MEK.
Critics argue that this selective coverage—or lack thereof—illustrates a broader pattern: that the organization struggles to garner genuine, organic grassroots support among the Western public or the Iranian diaspora, relying instead on organized attendance and high-profile paid speakers. Conversely, representatives of the MEK and their parliamentary supporters in Europe claim that these conferences serve as vital platforms for advocating for a secular, democratic republic.
Because of its historical alignment with Saddam Hussein and past involvement in violent operations against Iranian civilians and officials, the group was designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom. It was subsequently delisted following successful multi-million-dollar lobbying in 2012. However, it has not been successful to engage the attention of the media.
Today, the group’s extensive lobbying efforts—often featuring prominent retired Western politicians and parliamentarians—continue to draw sharp rebukes not only from the Iranian people, which frequently protests European hosting of MEK figures as “state sponsorship of terrorism,” but also from independent analysts and journalists who scrutinize the group’s internal practices, authoritarian legacy, disinformation campaign and opacity regarding financial backing.
Mazda Parsi
