Some demonstrators wore hats embroidered with the slogan, “Viva Rajavi” and carried pictures of Maryam Rajavi, leader of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, who lives in exile.
Purple flags and balloons supporting Rajavi’s opposition floated overhead as she addressed the rally via satellite from Paris, France.
“I urge the U.N. to condemn the Iranian regime and their crimes, the worst humanitarian crimes,” she said. “Those of you here are the brave ones representing Iran. Ahmadinejad is the enemy of Iran.”
The crowd responded: “Rajavi, yes. Ahmadinejad, no.”
Otherdemonstrators wore bloodied prison uniforms and nooses around their necks, symbols of the repression under the Islamic regime, they said. One woman sat surrounded by stones, used in Iran as a method of execution.
Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani also addressed the crowd. “You and your cause,” he said, “are the best hope for Iran.”
