United in message and solidarity. Iranians ask Portugal to expel Iran’s ambassador
“We are not safe in Portugal”, says Yaser fearlessly. This Iranian has been in Portugal for eight years, and his voice has the message he wants to be heard in a clear voice. “The president of Portugal can show solidarity with the Iranian. It is important. Portugal must expel the ambassador from Iran”, he says.
In front of the Iranian embassy in Lisbon, night is falling and in a few minutes almost a hundred Ukrainians and Iranians gather. Organized by the association of Ukrainians in Portugal, these protesters accuse Iran of “being a totalitarian state that helps the regime of Vladimir Putin to kill Ukrainians”. Ukraine has already announced that the Iranian regime is supplying kamikaze drones that, in recent weeks, have been the main weapon used by Russian troops to bomb cities in the country. Iran no longer.
Yaser is the voice that guides all those who wanted to be present in these protests. “We want to expel the ambassador of Iran”, he continues to shout, with the other protesters accompanying him in the background. “We want free internet. We can’t talk normally with our family. We can’t make video calls”, he complains. Ismail is another of the Iranians who, despite the receipts, wanted to show support for two peoples. “I have to be scared. But I don’t know what I’m going to get back to Portugal.
Pavlo Sadoka, responsible for the association that unites the cranial in Portugal, emphasizes the care of both peoples. “It is very symbolic that we have Iranians here with us. Because we are united in the same purpose. Deep down, they are fighting for the same values that we defend. The Iranians want a country free of dictatorship”, he summarizes. The protest lasts for an hour, during which time there is no sign of life in the embassy. Whoever is on the outside keeps the same on the side knowing that they are probably not on the side to hear the same message. Iranians and Ukrainians have no doubts that “whoever defends democracy helps Ukraine”.