anti-terrorism police on Saturday dispersed a banned rally organized by the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) terrorist group in central Paris, arresting around 20 people and dealing a humiliating blow to the violent organization\u2019s leadership as it struggles to maintain relevance in Europe.<\/p>\n
The gathering, which organizers had touted as a 100,000-person show of force, drew only a few hundred supporters to Place Vauban before police moved in, according to French media reports.<\/p>\n
The Paris administrative court had banned the event Thursday, citing \u201cserious risks of clashes\u201d with Iranian monarchists and the potential for public order disruptions \u201cin the current particularly tense national and international context\u201d.<\/p>\n
The intervention marks a significant embarrassment for Maryam Rajavi, the MKO\u2019s ringleader, who had poured millions of dollars into promoting the event.<\/p>\n
Video footage showed CRS riot police using pepper spray to disperse demonstrators, amid the deep and increasingly violent rivalry between the MKO and monarchist groups.<\/p>\n
According to sources familiar with the court\u2019s ruling, the ban was motivated in part by intelligence suggesting potential bomb attacks by elements linked to former SAVAK operatives \u2013 the shah-era intelligence apparatus \u2013 against the MKO gathering, reflecting the growing lethality of the feud between the two violent factions.<\/p>\n
The Paris debacle echoes the MKO\u2019s humiliating defeat on June 20, 2023, when Albanian anti-terrorism police stormed the group\u2019s Ashraf-3 camp near Tirana. That raid, which injured 15 police officers and 21 MKO members, was launched over the group\u2019s involvement in \u201cterror and cyberattacks\u201d against foreign institutions.<\/p>\n
The United States backed the Albanian operation, with a State Department spokesperson stating that Washington does not regard the MKO as a \u201cdemocratic representative of the Iranian people\u201d and remains concerned about allegations of abuse committed against its own members.<\/p>\n
The MKO, which is designated a terrorist organization by Iran and was historically listed by the United States and European Union before being delisted in 2012 and 2009 respectively, has been involved in the killing of nearly 17,000 Iranian civilians over the past four decades. The group collaborated with Saddam Hussein\u2019s regime during the Iraqi war on Iran in the 1980s.<\/p>\n
The French government\u2019s decision to ban the rally came hours after Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi about ending the war against Iran.<\/p>\n
Paris has previously faced criticism from Tehran for hosting MKO activities, with Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry describing the group\u2019s continued presence in France as \u201ca clear example of support for terrorism\u201d and a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1373.<\/p>\n
Kayhan.ir<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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