Protest March in London; Iranians Urge Britain to Designate IRGC as Terrorist Organization

Thousands of Iranians opposed to the Islamic Republic participated in a large protest march in London on Saturday, May 9, calling on Britain to take action to add the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to the list of terrorist organizations. Reporter Farhad Bahman from Voice of America went among the protesters to cover the event. According to information received by Voice of America, the protesters also chanted against Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic. Images received show thousands participating in the protest. The Iranian opposition had called for this protest weeks in advance. Alireza Akhundi, an Iranian-Swedish parliament member, stated the day before that he would participate in the "large demonstration in London to persuade Britain and also EU countries to take final actions and list the IRGC as a terrorist organization to weaken the Islamic regime." The Association of Victims of Flight PS752 has also called on the international community to hold the IRGC accountable for its crimes. This association was formed in Canada after the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane in Iranian airspace by two IRGC missiles, resulting in the deaths of all 176 crew and passengers, most of whom were dual nationals of Canada or residents of that country. In a part of their statement, the Association declared, "We firmly support the recognition of the IRGC as a terrorist organization in the United Kingdom and urge other democratic governments to join this decision." Vahid Beheshti, a human rights activist, has been on a hunger strike in front of the British Foreign Office for 66 days, demanding the IRGC be added to the list of terrorist organizations in the UK. He announced last Tuesday after meeting with Tariq Ahmad, the UK Foreign Office's Middle East minister, that this political figure supported the addition of the IRGC to the terrorist list. On April 30, 125 British parliament members sent a letter to the Prime Minister expressing support for Vahid Beheshti and emphasizing the urgency of designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization. Stuart Pollack, a member of the House of Lords and a signatory of the letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, stated that the IRGC poses a significant threat beyond Iran and the region, even to Britain. The letter described the IRGC as a factor in "systematic destabilization in the Middle East" and as the operational arm of the Iranian regime for achieving its malicious ambitions and killing thousands. The letter also referenced the dangers posed by the IRGC within the UK, including plotting to kill citizens and gathering intelligence on British Jews. The representatives praised the government's decision to designate Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations and called for the addition of the IRGC to this list. The United States, which previously designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization, recently imposed sanctions on the IRGC's intelligence organization and four of its senior commanders due to their roles in detaining American citizens. Two senior U.S. officials announced that less than a year after President Joe Biden's order to intensify efforts to bring back hostages and wrongfully detained American citizens in other countries, the U.S. has sanctioned the IRGC's intelligence organization and four of its senior commanders for their roles in detaining American citizens. Since the Trump administration in April 2019, the IRGC has been listed as a foreign terrorist organization. The Quds Force of the IRGC has been on this list since 2007. Vahid Beheshti stated that the most important issue is empowering the people inside Iran. Alireza Akhundi remarked that these are the last moments of the "regime" in Iran. A representative from the Austrian parliament has also called for the IRGC to be listed as a terrorist organization. The Shin Bet has indicated that the Quds Force has been attempting to recruit residents of the West Bank. The U.S. is offering a reward of up to $15 million for information regarding the IRGC's financial network.