Open letter to Peter Mezger, ARD (German Television) correspondent in Iran

21 September 2009

Dear Mr. Mezger,

We don’t know who felt worse on this years „Al-Quds-Day“ – the Iranian regime or you, as representative of the German media?

Everybody knows at the latest since the uprising after June 12 2009 that there is no free reporting from Iran. It was to be expected that you would only report about the protests on September 18 what the regime had allowed you. But this explains not everything. Because we really ask ourselves if you really were forced to announce the complete opposite of the truth. In the Tagesschau from September 18 (www.tagesschau.de/<wbr></wbr>multimedia/sendung/ts14752.<wbr></wbr>html, ca. minute 9:20) you claim: “Also the Iranian opposition is for Palestine and against Israel”. This statement contradicts obviously the central slogan of the oppositional Iranians – “No to Gaza, no to Lebanon, my life is for Iran”, which is documented in many internet-videos (e.g. www.youtube.com/watch). To the hate-slogans of the regime „death to America, death to Israel“, which came out of the loudspeakers, the people responded with “death to Russia” and “death to China” (e.g. www.youtube.com/watch), thereby expressing their enmity against all who support Ahmadinejad and Khamenei. When banners with the face of the Lebanese leader of Islamists Nasrallah were shown, people shouted “down with the dictator” (e.g. www.youtube.com/watch). Banners supporting the „struggle of Palestine“ were torn down by the crowd (e.g. www.youtube.com/watch).

You will say that it is hard – especially under the conditions of the Islamic dictatorship – to get a full overview of the events on that day in Iran. But it was known before that the regime was quivering with that day and that the revolutionary guards threatened to crack down with full force on people who oppose the anti-Israeli slogans of the regime. The regime press already took up the above cited sentence “not Gaza…” and claims, it was spread by “Zionists”.

After the majority of the Iranians with the mass demonstrations since June 12 have destroyed the political legitimacy of the Islamic Republic before the eyes of the world, September 18 was a stab in the ideological heart of the regime – an open attack on its anti-Semitism and its global expansionism in the name of the “Muslim community”. Even when you, Mr. Mezger, only acknowledge the people of Mousavi and Karroubi as opposition, you have to admit that their efforts to spread other pro-Palestinian slogans have miserably failed and that they didn’t dare to openly stand up against the slogans of the majority of the protestors. Of course among Iranians there exist a lot of different opinions on the conflicts between Palestinians and Israelis. But the “Palestine-solidarity” of the Iranian regime, for which thousands of people have been murdered and billions of dollar have been spent on terror has become the epitome of everything to hate and despise the Iranian regime for. Whoever is identified with this policy will have no chance in a future democratic Iran.

We have, as mentioned, the impression that this was not only a black day for the regime. We understand that September 18 has caused headaches and depression for many in (not only) Germany. They have lost a strategic partner in spirit. Because what would happen if the center of Islamist and anti-Semitic terror would be overthrown by the Iranians? If as a result even in Palestine the forces of moderation and compromise would prevail?:

They could no longer play down anti-Semitism by declaring the anti-Israeli tirades of Ahmadinejad as “mistranslations”. It would at least be more difficult to agitate against Israel by awarding Israel-haters medals – as happened with the “peace activist” Felicia Langer, who Germany decorated with its Federal Cross of Merit, after she called Israeli prison camps as “concentration camps”. In short: They could no longer (or not so easy) hide their own resentments behind the calamity of the Middle East. They would have to utter their resentments in their own name – and hopefully many Germans would recoil from this consequence.

Also because of that we wish the Iranian opposition a quick und full victory over the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Iranians thereby would not only lay the foundation for a humane future of their own society, but also make a contribution to civilisation of global significance, much to the annoyance of all who regard the Taliban as a “culture” and Ahmadinejad as an honourable representative of the Iranian people.

With best regards,

Fathiyeh Naghibzadeh and Andreas Benl,
Members of the coalition "Stop the Bomb"