An enthusiastic group of British trade unionists, Socialist Appeal
members and IWSN activists, gathered outside the Iranian regime’s
embassy in London at 12:30 on March 14. After assembling on the other
side of the road, where pickets are normally held, the protesters moved
to the pavement outside the embassy to chant slogans like "Free all
political prisoners in Iran!", "Independent workers’ unions now!" and
"Iranian workers are not alone!". The pickets even tried, with some
success, to chant "Kargaran-e iran tanha nistand" ("Iranian workers are
not alone!").
Towards the end of the
picket one of the comrades stepped on the doorstep of the embassy –
provoking a panicky and angry rebuke from the guard inside. The
diplomatic police then arrived to reassure the scared staff of the
embassy.
This picket was part of a series
of demonstrations and meetings being held across three continents
expressing solidarity with the workers of Iran in the final days of the
Iranian year, when workers normally have to protest and go on strike to
exert pressure on the bosses and the regime to pay their New Year
bonuses and unpaid wages. The struggles this year (1387) have been much
more widespread than those of the past few years.
