“Woman, Life and Liberty” was one of the slogans that resounded this afternoon in the center of Coimbra in solidarity with the women of Iran. The protests in the country last two weeks and follow the death of a 22-year-old girl, Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by customs police.
Naghmeh Ivaki, who has lived in Portugal for 13 years, believes that the support of the international community is essential for the Iranian cause and that, without it, the “cost is too high” for the Iranians.
The Iranian woman also appealed to the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and the Prime Minister, António Costa, to “state their position” on the situation in Iran: “I think the position is clear to me, but you have to say it. Secondly, you have to call the Iranian ambassador and ask him to explain the situation. And maybe also call the ambassador who is in Iran. Because we have a fascist government that he does everything he can to maintain his ideology and it’s not easy for the Iranians. It never was.”
In this initiative, which brought together dozens of people in Praça 8 de Maio, the mayor of Coimbra was present. José Manuel Silva, who in a brief statement expressed solidarity with the Iranian people. University professor Catarina Martins and Diana Silver, from the International Women International Group Coimbra, also participated.
The professor and former deputy of the Left Bloc José Manuel Pureza was another of the participants, considering that this is a fight of Iranian women and all women, but it must also be a fight of men: “It is a fight against morality police. that is always about the control and repression of women and that is a fight that has to be of men as well”.
Demonstrations of support for the Iranians were repeated today around the world. In Portugal, in addition to Coimbra, similar initiatives were carried out in Lisbon and Porto. Although there are no official figures, the Iranian community in Coimbra claims to have between 50 and 100 people.
Source: TSF
