5 November 2011 International Day of Solidarity with Iranian Workers

EN/FA

31 cities in 14 countries so far...Join us on this day of action

Currently in prison:
Behnam Ebrahimzadeh, sentenced to 6 years in prison
Reza Shahabi in prison since June 2010
Ebrahim Madadi, in prison since December 2008, sentenced to a 3.5 year prison
Rasoul Bodaghi sentenced to 6 years in prison
Ayat Niyaafar was arrested on Monday 17 Oct.

Their "crimes"
Fighting for workers rights including rights to union activities without fear of being persecuted
Demanding to be paid their wage for the work they have done
Demanding the right to strike and freedom of expression
Organising May Day
Establishing labour organisations

The attack on labour activists must be stopped!

We demand:
• the immediate and unconditional release of all jailed workers in Iran
• the expulsion of delegates of the Islamic regime of Iran from International Labour Organisation (ILO)

We call on all trade unions, concerned organisations and individuals to join us in this campaign. We need to show our solidarity with these jailed workers and their families.

SWEDEN

Stockholm

Time: Saturday 5 November 2011, 1-3 pm

Place: In front of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic

Contact: Göran Gustavsson 0704009033 & Faramarz Ghorbani 0765647616

Gothenberg

Time: Saturday 5 November 2011, 1-3 pm

Place: Brunnsparken

Contact: Abe Asadi 07317178819

Borås

Time: Saturday 5^th November 2011, 2-4pm

Place: Stora torget

Contact: Esmail Mardokhi 0 737 59 85 66

Helsingborg

Time: Saturday 5^th November 2011, 2.30-5pm

Place: Stortorget

Contact: Gabi Hosseini 0760879874

Sävsjö

Time: Saturday 5^th November 2011, 11am-1pm

Arian Mirzolfaghari 0700773423

zolfaghariarian4@gmail.com

Details forthcoming

Malmö

Time: Saturday 5^th November 2011, 1-3 pm

Place: Triangeln

Contact: Hasan Salehi  0703171102

Farideh Arman 0703638088

Karlskrona

Time: Saturday 5^th November 2011, 2-4 pm

Place: Ronnebygatan 43 till 47 i Centrum

Contact: Amir Kamrani; amir_ung@yahoo.com  0046704 53 10 47      

nasserkhassaee@yahoo.com   0046762835308     

UK

London

Time: Saturday 5 November 2011, 2-4 pm

Place: Trafalgar Sq., North Terrace, in front of the National Gallery

Then at 5pm we will gather outside the offices of the BBC Persian Service, Broadcasting House, 2-22 Portland Place, W1A 1AA

Contact: Behrooz Bahari 07838156819

Alireza Rashidi 07712810675

 CANADA

Toronto

Time: Saturday 5 November 2011, 1-3 pm

Place: Yonge St & Dundas Intersection

Contact: Yadi Mahmoudi 416-471-7138

hkki.vca@gmail.com 

Vancouver

Time: Saturday 5^th November, 3-5 pm

Place: Art Gallery, Robson side

Contact: Masoud Arjang 001-6046495453

Vancouver District Labour Council also supports this call

  

HOLLAND

Amsterdam

Time: Saturday 5 November 2011, 1-3 pm

Place: Beursplein

Contact: Bahman Khani 0651273261      

Norway

Oslo

Time: Saturday 5^th November, 1-2 pm

Place: In front of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic

Contact: Saber Rahimi 0798694001      

Abolghasem Kardar 04133-3268      

GERMANY

Frankfurt

Time: Saturday 5th November 2011, 11am-1pm

Hauptwache Rathenauplatz

Contact: Shahnaz Moratab  015774650186

Berlin

Time: Saturday 5^th, 2-4 pm

Place: Joachimstaler platz, am U-Bahnhof Kurfürstendamm

Contact: Farzaneh Derakhshan 017624866317

Cologne

Time: Saturday 5^th, 4 pm

Place: In front of Dom

Contact: Mohamad Nemati 01635522356

Hannover

Time: Saturday 5th November 2011 4-6pm

Place: Kropke

Contact: Naser kashkooli 0177 8348592

Würzburg

Time: Saturday 5^th November 2011, 2.30-5 pm

Abdolbaset Soleimani,  baset_marx@yahoo.com

fetails forthcoming

Hamburg

Time: Saturday 5^th November 2011, 1.30 pm

Place: Hamburg Hauptbahnhof, Glockengießerwall

Contact: Nazanin Borumand  0172-4044323, Pedram Rezazadeh

017648325613 

Dortmund

Time: Saturday 5^th November

Contact: Maryam Jabbarzadeh  01786703944

daryagermany@yahoo.de

Details forthcoming

Leipzig

Time: Saturday 5^th Nov

Contact: 017629319819

Details forthcoming

USA

Washington DC

Time: Sunday, November 6, 2011, 1pm

Place: 2209 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington DC (offices of the Islamic regime at the Pakistani Embassy) with march down to Georgetown to hand out flyers.

Contact: maria.rohaly@gmail.com

Organizers: Mission Free Iran & Unity for Democracy and Justice

Philadelphia

Time: Saturday 5^th, 1 pm

Love Park, Broad and JFK Street

Contact: Soheila Nikpour 267-439-7185

FRANCE

Lyon

Time: Saturday 5th November 2011, 4-5 pm

Contact: Payam Azar     

Details forthcoming

FINLAND

Helsinki

Time: Saturday 5^th, 2- 4 pm

Place: At 14:00 hours we will gather in Helsingin rautatientori and at 14:20 we will start our march towards Narinkkatori behind Kamppi building.

Contact: abroadcommittee@gmail.com

  

CYPRUS

Nicosia

Time: Saturday 5th November 2011, 10-11 am

Place: In front of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic

Contact: Amir Masoud Khaghani, 96484292

amirmasoud.khaghani@gmail.com

jonbeshhoghoghpanahjo.cyprus@gmail.com

Limassol

Time: Saturday 5th November

Location forthcoming

Contact: Amir Masoud Khaghani, 96484292

amirmasoud.khaghani@gmail.com

jonbeshhoghoghpanahjo.cyprus@gmail.com

  

Larnaca

Time: Saturday 5th November

Location forthcoming

Contact: Amir Masoud Khaghani, 96484292

amirmasoud.khaghani@gmail.com

jonbeshhoghoghpanahjo.cyprus@gmail.com

JAPAN

Tokyo

On 5 and 6 Nov, Jamal Saberi, Worker-communist Party of Iran's cadre and an activist of the "Free Jailed Workers Campaign", will be speaking at the Railway Union meeting. Labour union representatives from Brazil, USA and South Korea will be present in the meeting, and the topic of the meeting is jailed workers in Iran.

GREECE

Athens

Time: Saturday 5th November, 5 pm

Place: Athens Polytechnic in Patission Street

Contact: Naser Aghbashloo 00306957954975 

  

DENMARK

Copenhagen

Time: Saturday 5th November, 2-3 pm

Place: In front of the Embassy of Islamic Republic

Engskiftevej 6 - 2100 københavn 

TURKEY

Ankara

Time: Saturday 5th November, 2-4 pm

Place: At 14:00 hours we will gather in Kugulu Park (Swan Park) and then we will start our march towards Tehran Street in front of the Embassy of Islamic Republic

Contact: Pari Neshat 00905370158957

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This list is regularly updated. For the latest info, please see:

http://free-them-now.blogspot.com/   www.iranpoliticalprisoners.com  http://on.fb.me/oWSQb8   www.missionfree iran.org

شنبه٥ نوامبر

تظاهرات سراسری برای آزادی کارگران زندانی و کلیه زندانیان سیاسی در ایران

٣١ شهر در ١٤ کشور (لیست در حال تکمیل است)

از همگان دعوت ميكنيم كه در هر کجای جهان هستید با ما همراه شوید و به این اعتراض بپیوندید. یا اینکه در فرصت كوتاهي كه باقي مانده است، خود دست به کار شوید و با تشکل ها و فعالین سیاسی و کارگری شهرتان تماس بگیرید و برپایی اجتماع اعتراضی در پنجم نوامبر را برعهده بگیرید و خواست آزادی فوری و بی قید و شرط کارگران زندانی و همه زندانیان سیاسی در ایران را پر طنین تر کنید.

سوئد:

استکهلم:

شنبه ٥ نوامبر، ساعت ١ تا ٣ مقابل سفارت جمهوری اسلامی

تلفن تماس:

Faramarz Ghorbani 0765647616

Göran Gustavsson 0704009033

گوتنبرگ

شنبه ٥ نوامبر، ساعت ١ تا ٣ در برنز پارکن

تلفن تماس: عبداله اسدی 07317178819

هلسینگبوری

شنبه ٥ نوامبر ٢ و نیم تا ٥ بعدازظهر

در استور توریت

تماس: گبی حسینی 0760879874

بوروس

شنبه ٥ نوامبر، ساعت ٢ تا ٤ بعدازظهر

استورا توریت

تماس: اسماعیل مردوخی 0737598566

سوخو

روز شنبه ٥ نوامبر، ساعت ١١ تا یک بعدازظهر

تماس: آرین میرذوالفغاری0700773423    

emil:zolfaghriarian4@gmail.com

جزئیات بعدا اعلام میشود

مالمو

روز شنبه ٥ نوامبر ساعت ١ تا ٣ بعدازظهر

در Triangel

تماس: حسن صالحی 0703171102، فریده آرمان  0703638088

کارلزکرونا

شنبه ٥ نوامبر ساعت ٢ تا ٤ بعدازظهر

محل: Ronnebygatan 43 till 47 i Centrum

تماس:  Kamrani;amir_ung@yahoo.com  0046704 53 10 47   
nasserkhassaee@yahoo.com   0046762835308     

انگیس:

لندن

شنبه پنج نوامبر، ساعت ٢ الى ٤ عصر

ميدان ترافالگار در مقابل نشنال گالرى

و از ساعت ٥ مقابل بی بی سی فارسی

تلفن های تماس:

بهروز بهاری 07838156819

علیرضا رشیدی 07712810675 

نزدیکترین ایستگاه قطار به میدان ترافالگار: Charring Cross

آدرس: بی بی سی فارسی Broadcasting House,

2-22 Portland Place,

London   W1A 1AA

نزدیکترین ایستگاه قطار Oxford Circus

کانادا:

تورنتو

زمان: شنبه ۵ نوامبر ساعت ٢ تا ۵ بعد ازظهر

مكان: تقاطع خیابان یانگ و دانداس (مقابل ایتن سنتر)

تماس:

یدی محمودی: 4164717138

hkki.vca@gmail.com

hkki.vca@gmail.com

ونكور

شنبه ٥ نوامبر، ساعت ٣ تا ٥ بعدازظهر

Art Gallery, Robson side

شوراي كارگران ونكوور و حومه (Vancouver district Labour council) حمايت خود را از اين فراخوان اعلام کرده است

Masoud Arjang

001-6046495453

هلند:

آمستردام

شنبه ٥ نوامبر از ساعت ٢ تا ٤ بعدازظهر  

مکان: امستردام- بورس پلاین
تماس: بهمن خانی 0031651273261      

آلمان:

فرانكفورت:

شنبه ٥ نوامبر از ساعت ١١ تا ١ بعدازظهر

محل: Hauptwache Rathenauplatz

تلفن تماس: شهناز مرتب

015774650186 

برلین:

روز شنبه ساعت ٢ تا ٤ بعدازظهر، در محل

Joachimstaler platz, am U-Bahnhof Kurfürstendamm

تماس: فرزانه درخشان 017624866317

کلن

شنبه ٥ نوامبر، ساعت ٤ بعدازظهر

مقابل کلیسای دوم

تماس: محمد نعمتی 01635522356

ورتسبورگ

شنبه ٥ نوامبر ساعت ٢ تا ٤ عصر 
اطلاعات تكميلي بعدا گزارش ميشود.
تماس:   Abdolbaset soleimani baset_marx@yahoo.com 

هانوفر

شنبه ٥ نوامبر ساعت ٤ تا ٦ بعدازظهر

محل: Kropke

تماس: ناصر کشکولی  0177 8348592

هامبورگ

شنبه ٥ نوامبر، ساعت یک و نیم بعدازظهر

محل: Hamburg Hauptbahnhof
Glockengießerwall
تماس: نازنین برومند  01724044323

پدرام رضازاده 017648325613 

دورتموند

اطلاعات بعدا تكميل ميشود

تماس: مریم جبارزاده  01786703944

daryagermany@yahoo.de

لایپزیک

اطلاعات بعدا تكميل ميشود

تماس: 017629319819

آمریکا:

فیلادلفیا

شنبه ٥ نوامبر، ساعت ١ بعدازظهر

در Love Park, Broad and JFK Street

تماس: سهیلا نیکپور  2674397185

واشنگتن

یکشنبه ٦ نوامبر ساعت ١ بعدازظهر

محل: 2209 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington DC

دفاتر جمهوری اسلامی در سفارت پاکستان و از آنجا بطرف Georgetown

تماس: ماریا روحالی maria.rohaly@gmail.com

نروژ

اسلو

شنبه ٥ نوامبر، ساعت ١ تا ٢ بعدازظهر

محل: مقابل سفارت جمهوری اسلامی

تماس:صابر رحيمي:   098694001

ابوالقاسم کاردار: 042316278

حزب کارگران نروژ و اتحاديه کمون واحد کونگسوينگر، در پيامي به تشکیلات خارج کشور حزب کمونیست کارگری، پشتيباني خود را از کارزار ٥ نوامبر براي آزادي کارگران زنداني و کليه زندانيان سياسي در ايران اعلام کردند.

فنلاند

هلسینکی

شنبه ٥ نوامبر از ساعت ٢ تا ٤ بعدازظهر

مکان: تجمع ساعت ٢ بعدازظهر در میدان راه آهن هلسینکی ﴿Helsingin rautatientori﴾ و راس ساعت ٢ و ٢٠ دقیقه راهپیمایی به طرف میدان نارینکا ﴿Narinkkatori﴾ واقع در پشت ساختمان کامپی ﴿Kamppi﴾ 
تماس: abroadcommittee@gmail.com

فرانسه

لیون

شنبه ٥ نوامبر ساعت ٤ تا ٥ عصر

اطلاعات تكميلي بعدا به اطلاع میرسد

ژاپن

توکیو

روزهاي ٥ و ٦ نوامبر سخنراني جمال صابري کادر حزب كمونيست كارگري ايران و از فعالين كمپين براي آزادي كارگران زندانی درمورد كارگران زنداني در ايران در جلسه  اتحادیه كارگران راه آهن دورو چیبا که با حضور نمایندگانی از اتحادیه‌های كارگری برزیل، آمریكا و كره جنوبی برگزار میشود.

قبرس

لیماسول

شنبه ٥ نوامبر

تماس: امیر مسعود خاقانی 96484292

جزئیات بیشتر بعدا به اطلاع میرسد

amirmasoud.khaghani@gmail.com

jonbeshhoghoghpanahjo.cyprus@gmail.com

نیکوزیا

شنبه ٥ نوامبر ساعت ١٠ تا ١١ صبح

مقابل سفارت جمهوری اسلامی

تماس: امیر مسعود خاقانی   96484292

amirmasoud.khaghani@gmail.com

jonbeshhoghoghpanahjo.cyprus@gmail.com

لارناکا

شنبه ٥ نوامبر

تماس: امیر مسعود خاقانی 96484292

جزئیات بیشتر بعدا به اطلاع میرسد

amirmasoud.khaghani@gmail.com

jonbeshhoghoghpanahjo.cyprus@gmail.com

یونان

آتن

شنبه ٥ نوامبر ساعت ٥ بعدازظهر

محل: دانشگاه پلی تکنیک آتن- واقع در خیابان پاتیسیون

تماس: ناصر آقباشلو  00306957954975    

ناصر آقباشلو

دانمارک

کپنهاگ

شنبه ٥ نوامبر ساعت ٢ تا ٣ بعدازظهر

مقابل سفارت جمهوری اسلامی  

Engskiftevej 6 - 2100 københavn 

ترکیه

آنکارا

شنبه ٥ نوامبر، ساعت ٢ تا ٤ بعدازظهر

در مقابل سفارت جمهوری اسلامی ایران

تجمع در پارک قو، سپس حرکت به سمت خیابان تهران مقابل درب اصلی سفارت جمهوری اسلامی ایران

برگزار کننده: انجمن همبستگی فعالان تبعیدی – ترکیه

تلفن تماس: پری نشاط    00905370158957 

لیست در حال تکمیل شدن است.

از همه آزادیخواهان، از همه نهادها و فعالین حقوق کارگر و زندانیان سیاسی دعوت میکنیم که فعالانه در این آکسیون ها شرکت کنند و یا خود آکسیونی را در شهری که هستند سازمان دهند و اطلاعات مربوطه را برای ما بفرستند که به این لیست اضافه کنیم.

 براى اطلاعات بيشتر میتوانید به فيس بوك و سايت ها و وبلاگ های زير مراجعه نمائید:

http://free-them-now.blogspot.com/ 

www.iranpoliticalprisoners.com 

http://on.fb.me/oWSQb8

www.missionfree iran.org

. 

TV International with Hamid Taqvaee on the Arab Spring

TV International's Maryam Namazie interviews Hamid Taqvaee on the Arab Spring.



Below is the transcript of the interview.

On Arab Spring

Maryam Namzie: Hi! You’re watching TV International with Maryam Namazie.   In this week’s program we’re going to be discussing the Arab spring. We’ve got the brilliant Hamid Taqvaee in the studio with us this week to discuss this issue. Welcome Hamid Taqvaee.

Hamid Taqvaee: Thank you.

MN: Last week we talked about the 99 Percent in the protest world wide. Is the Arab Spring linked to what we’re seeing in Wall Street, in London, and across the world?

HT: Of course it is linked! First of all because the root of both movements is the same, and that’s the whole economical situation in the world: the economical crisis. One of the main slogans of the revolution in Egypt was bread, was the question of unemployment, the question of poverty and you see that the same thing is happening in the West now. That’s one thing that connects those two, the other thing is that even the form and the method of protest is very similar. I mean the whole idea of occupying Wall Street comes from Al-Tahrir Square in Egypt. And it’s not only Egypt and New York, of course. Every other places in the world we had that idea of occupying streets and claiming that streets belongs to us, you know. With idea of occupying comes idea of controll. We have to take controll, we people, we 99%, we have to take everything in our own hands, you know. That idea is a new idea you can say, and it is the basic idea in the Arab Spring, in the Middle East revolutions and in protests in the West. In Spain we had the same thing three months ago, in Paris we had the same thing, in Sol Square, people of Spain said streets belongs to us. It’s not simply a demonstration, it’s not one day protest and go home. It’s going out, come to the street and remain there. Take controll of the whole situation.

MN: It’s interesting when you talk about the similarities. There’s also been a lot of opposition to parliamentary democracy in protest that we see from Wall Street and across the world. Whereas the Arab Spring protesters often being portrayed in the media as pro-democracy movements and that’s often the lable that given to protesters...

HT: Yes, I know...

MN: Would you agree that the protesters are pro-democracy...?

HT: No, I don’t. I don’t think that you can call them pro-democracy as such. They are against dictatorship for sure, but it doesn’t mean necessarily that they are pro-democracy. They are pro-freedom. People want to be free but these days democracy identifies itself with parliament and elections. It’s not a very attractive idea overall, you know, because people in the Middle East think that: ok, say in Greece they had parliament, there was election, and you see the situation. Even in the West, in the US, in the Western Europe, parliaments are very busy with passing laws against people, you know, with the policy of cutting all the social services, and so on and so forth. So it’s not very attractive. Every Egyptian would think: parliament for what? Parliament to do what? Something like Greece? Spain? We want unemployment? We need austerity measures? Of course not. Fifty years ago we couldn't say that. In uprisings against dictators, like in the revolution that we had in Iran thirty something years ago, people wanted democracy as such. It made sense somehow. But these days nobody is for democracy.

MN: It seems though if you are not for parliamentary democracy then you’re not for people’s participation in society. That’s the image that’s been given. What would be an alternative then? iIf people aren’t able to vote what else they could do?  

HT: The alternative is taking shape already. The alternative is people with their committees, with their counciles. People are gathering in these sort of organizations in their protests everywhere. As I said before, with the idea of occupaying streets comes the idea of controlling the society. People saying we can do this. It’s possible. Especially with the new technology, with the Internet, with the social media, and so on people think that it’s doable, it’s possible. We can do that. We can take the controll in our own hands. As one of those activists in Sol Square in Madrid said “Our dream doesn’t come out from the ballot box”. It means that people know that it is not just the question of free election. Its a question of beeing free in every days life to decide about everything and to take controll of everything. And people know that parliament is not going to do that for them. Parliament is busy with saving bankers and do something with the capitalist bancrupsy in everywhere. So that situation brings with itself the idea of taking controll, taking everything in our own hands...

MN: But the right to vote is still important, doesn’t it? I mean people have died for the right to vote and even in the sense where they’re occupaying Wall Street, people are still voting .?..

HT: Yes, the right to vote. But look, there’s a difference between the direct democracy and parliamentary democracy. I mean you vote and you elect somebody to do something and you  think you are in charge or having control. That’s the second part which is missing, you know. In every parliamentary democracy, you elect some people for four years and you have no control whatsoever. They gone; they do what ever they want for four years...

MN: They do exactly what they said that they’re not gonna do...

HT: Yes, because they need your vote they say whatever you want and after election they do whatever they want! Election promises are equivalent with lies. They just lie or do whatever they need to do to just take your vote and then they go on with their own policies, the policies of those one percent. 99% elect some "one percent" parties or parliament members or whatever, and then they go on with their own policies and after four years people come out with that ok, it didn’t work, go for the other party which is the same almost with just new faces...

MN: Going back to this issue of people’s participation, revolution is one way in which people do participate. Some people though believe that its a failure. Revolutions are failure. They failed and they’re helping to actually bring Islamism to power, even in places where they didn’t have power in the Middle East and the Northern Africa. What would you say to that?

HT: Actually I think those revolutions are against Islamism as well, because Islamists have no role in them. You know, Islamism is a very well known movement and everybody knows what it is about. After September 11, we had Islamism in one pole, in one camp, and we had Neo-Cans and the militarism on the other, and everybody knows what they stand for. Islamism is for going back to Sharia laws, anti-Western values, or in fact anti-civilization tendencies, going back to "our own" culture, Arab culture or Islamic culture, women with Hijab with no rights at all, anti-Semitism ... that sort of thing. That’s Islamism. Political Islam is based on those goals and those values. But in those revolutions in Egypt, in Tunisia, in Syria there is no trace of such goals and tendencies. In Syria for example you have an uprising totally against Islamism, because Beshar al-Asad is a leader and a symbole of political Islam in the region. In Syria Islamism is in power. In Egypt, in Tunisia, in everywhre, in Lybia even, we have revolutions that are not about those values. Those revolutions have already declared that they are for freedom, they are for bread, they are for human dignity. So they have nothing to do with Islamism. I know that some Islamic groups, like the Islamic Republic of Iran, they try to say  these are an Islamic revolutions or revolutions in Islamic countries, revolution against the West, and that sort of thing. But people in the street don’t say that. We don’t see any slogan against the "Great Satan"  for example...

MN: But there’s a danger of Islamism taking power...

HT: Yes, always there is a danger. As far as Islamism is there as a political power, of course they do whatever they can to take power in those new situation that is created by revolution. But they had nothing to do with the revolution. Do you know what I mean? Moslem Brotherhood which was a very strong party in Egypt, even they had members in parliament in Mobarak’s time, in that revolution they are nowhere. You don’t see them at all. Of course, sometimes they make some comments or something, but people are not for, say, Sharia law in Egypt. You don’t see that trend, you don’t see that movement.

MN: Thank you very much. We will going to end here. If you have any comments on this, do contact us. I just want to end with something that a Tunisian was saying in a rally for secularism. They said we didn’t overthrow Bin-Ali who told us we couldn’t say a lot of things to have someone come on and tell us that the rule of God doesn’t allows to say other things, and that secularism is an important value that they fighting for, as Hamid Taqvaee says. Send us your comments. Hope to see you again next week. Until then have a good week.

october 28, 2011

Interview with Hamid Taqvaee on the 99% movement

TV International interview with Hamid Taqvaee on the 99% movement 

Below is the transcript of interview 

Hi you are watching tv international with Maryam Namazi. We got brilliant Hamid Taqvaee with us, and we are going to be speaking about 99% movement.

Maryam Namazi: Welcome Hamid Taqvaee

Hamid Taqvaee: Thank you

MN: We have been hearing from protesters, it has been amazing to see this various protests in many cities across the world. One of thing that is coming up is the fact that it has got to do with greed. And I suppose my first question to you is if we regulate the market and if the people becomes less greedy, then things get any better?

HT: Actually the question of greed is what people say because they are told to thing so. I mean first when it happened in 2008, everybody was talking about greed. All the main stream media, all the politicians, every body. As if there is some bunch of greedy executives in wall street, bankers and major stock holders who created the whole problem. That was the image the people got. The general image was that ok, some thing is wrong with the system and it should be modified, but the real problem is the greed and the greedy people. Obviously, it is not the reason. I mean, even if you say it is greed, greed is what the system needs. It is created by the system. You can say that the problem is not greedy people but greedy system. And if you want the system works you need greed and that greed is personified in bankers and other capitalists. The problem is the system not some greedy people.   

MN: And in the sense of the whole issue of the greed, it is often also blamed on the population in large. They say we are responsible of over borrowing and living a life that we do not have money for. So, it is sort of impression that it is our behavior that is the problem rather than the system itself.

HT: The question of credit and the fact that people have to borrow in order to live means there is  no other way. People cannot be blamed because they want to live! One cannot say because people have to borrow to live, so they created the problem. Again here we have a system that works based on credits, credits to the banks, to the big companies, to the capitalists and credits to the people. Capitalists borrow to invest and people borrow to spend. People are consumers, they have to borrow from the banks in order to pay for the rent or mortgages, for bills and for everything.

MN: Basically what you are talking about is not the greed but the system that is responsible?

HT: Yes, it is the whole system, and every part of the system is needed by other parts. Everything matches. The system is based on credit cards, based on mortgages, based on stock market and financial capital and so on; it is based on greed if you like. The whole things works and works this way. One cannot say this or that part is not good; lets  switch it off and the rest is ok. This is not going to work.

MN: Having said that, some people say even 99% protesters are using that products of capitalism form social networks they use, the cloths they are wearing to the tents they bought from Tesco or big supermarkets.

HT: Are you sure they are products of capitalism and not the products of workers and  people which most of them are out of job now? I mean everything Wall Street occupiers use are what they created in the first place; the wealth of the whole society is created by 99%. I don't think any capitalist, any banker, any major stockholder have ever seen any production line, or has been to a factory or in a shop floor, ever. In fact the real problem is the people who created all the products are the same people who can not afford them. They can not even survive without borrowing from those who posses everything without working for them; that is from 1%. Well, look! When you say 99% against 1%, it  is a question of wealth and the way it is shared by the population. According to the statistics 1%  of the population of USA owns more than 40% of  the whole wealth. Now we ask  who created the wealth of this 1%? Who created that 40 or 100 percent of the wealth? Of course the answer is  people who have been working, and not the people who just own the capital or own the banks. It is obvious. 

MN: It is interesting because the protesters are not only against an economic system, but inequalities  that people are facing and the fact that they can not afford health care and  many things any more. But it is also grievances against political system, which is more interesting because often times parliament democracy is shown to be the hope of the people in everywhere, something that every one is fighting for. What is your take on this area?

HT: There is a slogan in the movement that says both parties, Democrat and Republican, are Wall Street parties. The people know that. I mean it is not just the matter of how the wealth of the society is distributed. The problem is that the tiny minority who posses the lion share of the wealth, owns the power as well. They run the army and all the armed forces. They decide on the major issues, foreign policies, on national policies, they own Wall Street, and they own the congress, they own the Washington, they own all lobbies. Everything! Everything! Any aspect for political power, social power, economical power are in the hands of %1 of the people. It is not just the question of wealth. It is question of rights, question of controlling the whole society which effects every day life, politics, media, army, social matters, cultural matters,  everything. They control. That one percent controls the media. The mainstream media is controlled by them. They decide on any major subject in any aspect of social life.  This protest is against the elite of the society which controls and runs everything.

MN: Can you just switch financial markets off? What would be solution?

HT: You can not switch off just one part of the system, but you can switch the whole thing off. I mean you can not reform some how. You can not have capitalism without bankers, without greed. You can not have capitalism without Wall Street. We can not have capitalism without bail outs these days now, without tens or hundreds of billions or trillions of dollars to pump to the bank system because it has got to work. So, it cannot be said that capitalism is ok and good only if we could get rid of bankers.

MN: So, everything is part of it inequality and unemployment and  social injustice are all part of it.

HT: Everything is part of it.

MN: So, what is the solution? Socialism, it is said, it is passed and old fashioned?

HT: The problem is not old fashioned, so I do not know why the solution, i.e. Socialism, is old fashioned! If you are jobless and you have no rights and no voice, and if the society is still controlled by 1% of people, then socialism is alive and relevant! Socialism is about those issues. I know that  the Soviet Union brand of ”socialism" is old fashioned, it is gone. But Soviet Union had nothing to do with socialism in the first place. Socialism is the movement that answers all the basic issues of our time( economical crises and its political and  social consequences), and as such is relevant to the everyday life of majority of the people more than ever.  This movement shows you how to get rid of the present system. And that is an urgent question for every body. Every body is thinking about that. You know, people would think we have parliament, we have parties, and we have so to speak "democracy". But we have noting to do with what is going on. Our view doesn't matter. No body is counted. No body ask us what to do. They make peace, they make wars, they bail out, they imply austerity measures,  they do whatever they want to do and the whole system has nothing to do with us unless every four years I go and elect some body and I know all is going to happen again, because it is the same system. So, socialism is the real solution  and it is not old fashioned  until of course  poverty and inequality itself is old fashioned.

MN: Thank you very much Hamid Taqvaee

In support of October 15 actions across the world!

Danish police arrest 14!

Today, October 5, 2011 a group of opponents of the Islamic Republic of Iran were arrested in Copenhagen, Denmark. Peaceful protesters were only displaying placard in objection to recent arrest of labour activists in Iran when they themselves were arrested.

The police have refused information regarding the whereabouts and charges against the Iranian activists, three of whom are female.

Names of detainees:
1. Kuhestan Mazhari
2. Mehran Majidi
3. Salam Sheykhi
4. Asrin Vaseli
5. Tala Chalambari
6. Saman Rostami
7. Hiva
8. Shayan
9. Soleyman
10. Amir

So far there is no information on the other four.

The Worker-communist Party of Iran (WPI) condemns the outrageously unjust arrest of Iranian protestors; it is a clear violation of the right to protest. The WPI demands the immediate release of all detainees as they have not committed any crime! They were merely objecting to the crimes of the Islamic regime of Iran in a peaceful action.

Please send protest letters to the Danish police at stm@stm.dk demanding the immediate release of the detainees.

Worker-communist Party of Iran – Organization Abroad
October 5, 2011

For more information about the detainees, and to help, please contact Hasan Salehi on: 0046703171102; hassan_salehi13@yahoo.com. We welcome legal advice and are determined to organize protests in case there is a delay in their release!