Protesters march on Iranian embassy
About 60 protesters descended on the Iranian embassy in Wellington yesterday – for the second time in four weeks – over the regime’s ongoing crackdown on demonstrations.
Protesters called on the New Zealand Government to shut the embassy down, while half a dozen police officers formed a line in front of the building in Te Anau Rd, Hataitai.
Hundreds in Iran have died during the anti-regime protests, in which crowds demanded the removal of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
A Dominion Post reporter at the scene said the protesters chanted for the ambassador to be expelled. An Iranian flag was torn up, while others trampled and spat on the remnants on the ground.
Iranian activist Mahsa Marks said they wanted the Iranian embassy to know it had ‘‘no place in New Zealand’’.
She felt the Government had been ‘‘very slow’’ and ‘‘weak’’ in its response, compared with other countries.
Marks had lots of family and friends in Iran who left their homes not knowing if they would be killed or detained, she said.
If the Government would not expel the Iranian ambassador, it should at least recall New Zealand’s representative from Tehran ‘‘for consultation’’ to offer guidance and insight into what was happening, she said.
Farzad Parsi, who moved here from Iran about seven years ago, said Iran was a country ‘‘with everything’’ but the oppressive nature of the regime was holding it back.
Protesters also gathered outside Parliament, calling on the Government to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity. It is a call echoed in a letter signed by every party in Parliament, except Labour, to the Government.
When asked if she was considering placing the IRGC as a terrorist entity, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said there were possible legal and diplomatic implications. ‘‘So it’s not something I would immediately respond to without full consideration.’’ .