Against the silence and indifference, the colours of the Iranian flag illuminated Porto City Hall

In solidarity with the protest movements against the intolerance of the Iranian regime, the Porto City Hall building lit up, on Saturday evening, with the colours of the Iranian Flag. The green, white, and red on the façade of the City Hall building conveyed a message in defence of Human Rights, against silence and indifference.

Large groups passed along Avenida dos Aliados, some more satisfied than others with the results of the football matches in the World Cup being held in Qatar, but a few dozen people gathered next to the statue of Almeida Garrett with a greater purpose: solidarity with Iranian Women, who have long fought for freedom.

Symbolically, the Christmas tree that magically lights up in this time of the year was off, to the astonishment of many bystanders. On the façade of Porto City Hall, the colours of the Iranian flag mirrored the feeling of both the autarchy and the city. The solidarity against intolerance, in defence of freedom and respect for Human Rights.

Precisely on December 10, which annually marks Human Rights Day, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, Porto sent a message for the Iranian people: “We are supportive and available. We could not be indifferent”, underlined the Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira.

“We want to continue to bet on Human Rights and condemn the terrible abuses that are taking place in Iran. What is happening in Iran is unbelievable and it is regrettable that our authorities remain silent about it. On our part, there will be no silence. We hope that the Iranian people manage to free themselves from what is a terrible theocracy, and which even today and every day has been killing people, women, by refusing to wear a hijab, which should be an individual freedom”, added the mayor.

In the company of the councillor for Tourism and Internationalization, Catarina Santos Cunha, and by Aida Sigharian, one of the promoters of the initiative, Rui Moreira considered “appropriate” that the initiative happened “on the same day on which Human Rights are being celebrated, and on which we mourn the lack of Human Rights.”

“In a year that has been terrible for the world, in many ways, what is happening in Iran is terrible, and so we felt that we had to mark it for what women’s rights are. Also in Portugal, we must not forget that this year 22 women have already died, murdered by domestic violence. It is a fight that concerns us much. There is a symbolism of a city that is a city of freedom and wants to be a city that preserves Human Rights, and respects those who live here”, he highlighted.

The process “was easy” since the first conversation. “We met with the mayor and set up a meeting to talk. And then, everything was easy. We asked for this gesture of solidarity, asked for some murals to paint, to use advertising panels, we asked for help to publicize the events and protests we make”, recalled Aida Sigharian.

“I was giving a conference on the November 25, which also has to do with Human Rights, and Aida showed up. We made an appointment, they came here, we had a meeting, we said yes to everything because it seemed perfectly justified and well thought out”, concluded Rui Moreira.

Women in Iran recently received the special mention of “heroines of the year” by the US magazine Time, which highlighted their “fight for freedom” movement. At the centre of the most recent protests is the death of 22 year old Mahsa Amini, arrested by the morality police for violating women’s dress code, causing the “longest protest in the 43-year history of the Islamic Republic”, according to the magazine.

The theme chosen this year by UN for Human Rights Day is “Dignity, Freedom and Justice for All”, and marks the beginning of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the launch of the year-long campaign to highlight its importance.