Iranians held a rally in Paris on Sunday, January 18, 2026, at Saint-Michel Square, in solidarity with the nationwide uprising of the Iranian people. The gathering was organized to honor the memory of the victims of Iran’s nationwide uprisings and to emphasize the urgent need for justice for those killed in government repression.
The participants, who were supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, commemorated the fallen by lighting candles and by chanting slogans such as “No to Shah, No to Mullah” and “No to the Dictator,” underscoring their rejection of all forms of dictatorship, both the current regime and any return to monarchy. These slogans directly reflect the demands voiced inside Iran.
Ms. Dominique Attias, President of the Administrative Council of the European Lawyers Foundation, President of the European Bar Association with over one million members (2021–2022), and Vice President of the Paris Bar Association (2016–2017), delivered a speech at the rally in Paris.
Dominique Attias: The Blood of Iran’s Martyrs Inspires a Nation’s Struggle
“Azadi, Azadi, Azadi,” (Freedom, Freedom, Freedom). Look at them. Look at them all. Look at each one of them. This is what they shouted before a bullet was fired into their heads, before a bullet was fired into their hearts. These are your martyrs. Not 3,000, not 4,000… at least 10,000, at least 20,000! They fall every day, and yet they tell you: “Keep going! We will continue the struggle!”
Iranian women, Iranian men, know that we are here. We may be far away, but we will never abandon you. You cannot free yourselves by waiting for others, it is through your own efforts that you will achieve it. You know this. You are shedding your blood for it.
They are killing you, these murderers. They are killing your children, your youth, all this young generation. But they will pay. They will pay a hundredfold for their crimes. Nothing, nothing will bring down this Iranian Resistance. Nothing and no one.
Every day, they continue, the extraordinary Resistance Units who pay with their lives for the Iranian people and for freedom.
Of course, the people, of course international organizations, of course governments including the United Nations, must take the necessary measures, including placing the IRGC on the list of terrorist organizations. Of course, all the embassies of this regime must be closed. All diplomats must be expelled. Of course they have plundered your country, and all their assets must be frozen.
The struggle is there, on the ground. They must arm themselves. The pen is no longer enough! They must seize the weapons of the revolutionary guards. They must take them over! They must take their tanks! They must bring them down. A revolution is not made with pens or with words. They must be overthrown, just as they kill children, women, and men every day.
More pressure, No more discussions. The revolution is underway. Too much blood has been shed far too long, already 30000 in 1988. And it starts again? And nothing would happen? No. This time, it will not happen like that. This time, it is over.
No Shah no Mullah, of course. Enough is enough. Democracy—your democracy—rooted in your culture. Not one copied from Europeans! You are Iranians first and foremost! Your democracy is something you will create yourselves.
It is terrible to say this, but thanks to the blood that has been shed, thanks to the sacrifice of all those who have given it, they are watching you from above. They did not die in vain. They are dying for each and every one of you, for each and every one of us.
Because what is happening in Iran is an example for the rest of the world. What is happening in Iran is also a lesson for the region. Enough of lecturing us in the newspapers, saying, “Oh, if there is democracy, there will be chaos,” “Oh, there are too many opposition groups.” But who do they think Iranians are? And Iranian women? Women have been fighting alongside men for more than 40 years.
There will be no chaos. There will be organization. I hope it will be yours, but it is up to the Iranian people to determine their future. They are the ones who must choose, without foreign powers trying to appropriate everything you have achieved.
You will remain vigilant. We will stand by your side. You will prevail. We must continue to fight. We must shout for them and make the voice of freedom heard in every corner of the world. We will mourn their dead later but let these deaths give us such rage that nothing, nothing stops us except victory.
Thank you
