John. Bercow’s remarks, dubbed “nonsense on stilts,” criticized the pervasive Western belief in a reform-minded faction within the Iranian dictatorship, calling it a “chronic hallucination.”

Former British House of Commons Speaker John Bercow delivered a sharp critique of the Iranian regime at a recent meeting between Iranian opposition President-elect Maryam Rajavi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and members of the Italian Parliament’s Committee of Foreign Affairs.

“The truth of the matter is appeasement fails. The only thing that dictators respect is strength,” Bercow asserted, condemning the status quo. He likened the global stance towards Iran’s government to the failed appeasement strategies employed against Adolf Hitler in the 1930s, suggesting the need for a more assertive approach.

Further condemning Iran’s regime, Bercow said, “They can’t defend their own record, they can’t defend their economic record, they can’t defend their human rights record, they can’t defend their record as terrorists, as torturers, as kidnappers, as would-be nuclear armors.” He decried the false narrative that no viable alternative exists, countering that Mrs. Rajavi’s ten-point plan offers a democratic and principled option.

Bercow lauded Mrs. Rajavi as a visionary leader and her resistance movement as a united alternative.

“There is a united alternative with growing and mass support amongst the people of Iran who believe in democracy, who believe in pluralism, who believe in parliamentarian, who believe in choice, who believe in equality, who believe in justice, who believe in the rule of law,” he stated.

Dismissing Tehran’s claim that no unified opposition exists, Bercow called for the recognition of the popular support for change. “The flame of freedom will never be extinguished and for whom that flame burns brightly, there is mass support for change,” he said, emphasizing the imperative for democracy to prevail in Iran.

In a poignant finish, Bercow reiterated the importance of allowing the Iranian people to determine their own future, without foreign obstruction. “We do not have the right to look the other way, to fly home, and to forget about Iran’s plight,” he asserted. “The forces of change, of democracy, of the rule of law, of justice in Iran, represented by the National Council and embodied very personally in the leadership of Mrs. Rajavi, had their opportunity.”

The impassioned speech concluded with a rallying cry to global leaders to support change in Iran, to reject the prevailing narrative of appeasement, and to commit to the long overdue transformation of the Iranian political landscape. “The tyrants of Tehran are relegated to the dustbin of history where they belong,” Bercow concluded.

MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook), Maryam Rajavi’s on her site, Twitter & Facebook, NCRI  (Twitter & Facebook), and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTu