People Before Profit’s Conference for Women and Gender Equality took place in Dublin last Sunday and was attended by members of SEFI (Support Equality and Freedom for Iran). We are delighted to publish this report on the conference from one of their members, Mansoureh Behkish.
On Saturday, November 3th, members of the Party of “People Before Profit” held a conference on gender equality with the slogan of “Radical Women, Radical Change” in Ashling Hotel in Dublin.
A number of us from SEFI (Support Equality and Freedom for Iran) took part in support and solidarity with Iran’s revolution. One of our young members, Elahe talked about the revolutionary movement of “Women, Life, Freedom” and the violence and crimes of the Islamic regime of Iran. She displayed some pictures in her speech that were very moving.
Most of the members of this socialist party are feminists and believe in radical changes, as apparent in the “radical women, radical changes” slogan. The speakers talked about their own experiences and activities.
The seminar started at 10:30 am in the morning on Saturday and continued until around 5:00 pm in the evening including several panel discussions on:
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Womens charters and the working class
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Trans rights are all our rights
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Gender based violence, Actions not words
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The international fight for reproductive justice
During the breaks, each of us told the participants about the brave struggles of Iranian women and men who want freedom and equality in Iran, as well as about the repressions, discrimination, and systematic crimes of the Islamic Regime of Iran from the beginning of their power till now.
I also said a little bit about discrimination and violence against women since the beginning of the establishment of the Islamic regime and about their crimes. About how they killed thousands of protesters and opponents in prisons and outside the prisons and secretly buried them in Khavaran and other unmarked individual and mass graves. About disappeared bodies of them and still shamelessly denying and distorting the facts. About the struggles and resistance of the mothers and families of Khavaran and other mothers and families who are seeking truth and justice, including the mothers and families of Aban with several members currently in prison. About seven members of my family including; one sister, four brothers, and 2 brother-in-law who were socialists and were executed by this criminal Regime in the 1980s. I have been active in the women’s movement and the seeking truth and justice movement in Iran for many years, during which I was subjected to continuous harassments and arbitrary arrests. 5 years ago when I was in Dublin for visit, I was sentenced to heavy prison in absentia and I was forced to take refuge in Ireland.
They asked us what help they can give to the fighting women and men in Iran and we asked them to stand in solidarity with the revolutionary movement of the Iranian people and to be their voice, raise awareness about the lies and crimes of the regime in Ireland and the world so that we can build a fairer world with each other’s help.
For my part, I am happy to have met women and men from different walks of life in Ireland who fight for equality and to eliminate all discrimination and violence against women and patriarchy in a radical way. Violence and discrimination against women and other forms of discrimination and social inequalities have always been inflicted by governments that are based on religion, patriarchy, and racism. These systematic discriminations root deeply in the culture of these societies, and therefore it is essential that the foundations of discrimination and Inequality be uprooted so that we can achieve freedom and equality and build a just world around the world.
I would like to wish victory for the revolutionary movement of #Zan_Zandagi_Azadi (Woman, Life, Freedon), in Iran and in all over the world.
Mansoureh Behkish
December 6th, 2022