Apr 11

Apr 11 Iranian Monarchists

Chicago, Demonstrations, Donald J. Trump, Performance, Protest, Public Declarations

At noon today, members of Chicago’s Iranian community held what was billed as a parade in support of Iranian human rights at the corner of Wacker Drive and Rush Street. Somewhere between 75 to 100 people gathered within eyesight of the Trump Tower, showing their support for Donald J. Trump’s war on Iran. Two or three people spoke, but during the hour I spent at the rally, the “speakers” mostly led the demonstrators in chants, including “This is the final battle, Pahlavi will return.”

Pahlavi is Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the son of the former Shah of Iran, who was overthrown during the 1979 Iranian Revolution that placed Iranian religious clerics in charge of the country. Interestingly, I did not hear the group chanting “Woman, Life, Freedom,” which was the go-to chant in 2022 when Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman, died in Tehran under suspicious circumstances. She had been arrested by the religious morality police for not wearing her hijab in the manner prescribed by the Iranian clerics. The government claimed she had a heart attack, but most believe she died at the hands of the police.

The Iranians demonstrating today were monarchists, hoping that the Crown Prince will assume power when the Iranian mullahs are overthrown. The Crown Prince has said he will lead a caretaker government until democratic elections can be held.

Other Iranian exiles support Maryam Rajavi. Living in Paris, Rajavi is the leader of the Mujahedin-e Khalq, or MEK, which also hopes to see the existing Iranian government overthrown. The U.S. Government has designated MEK as a terrorist group. On the ideological spectrum, MEK blends revolutionary Marxism with Islam. According to The Guardian, Rudy Giuliani and former CIA Director Mike Pompeo support MEK. The group sided with Iraq and Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq War. As far I know, MEK does not have a presence in Chicago.

In Chicago, there is another faction within the Iranian community. It, too, supports the overthrow of the current Iranian regime. These Iranians, however, are not monarchists. They did not demonstrate today.

I saw several signs and one flag making reference to Trump. As I have written several times before, the monarchists should feel free to support Trump, but strategically, they would be wise to do so in private. Trump is very unpopular in Chicago, so the demonstrators should avoid conflating their cause with Trump.

As is typical for all downtown demonstrations, a squad of CPD bicycle cops could be seen across the street from the rally. I was surprised that there were so few officers present today. Midway through the demonstration, several left the area.

While the rally was colorful and the demonstrators were vocal, the event was relatively low-key. Most passersby did not linger in the area.

I don’t think the group marched today despite the. “parade” billing.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]