When the Ukrainian politician clenched her fists in determination, she was applauded at the Estrel Congress Center in Neukölln. 36-year-old Kira Rudik had previously talked about the war in her country, about the bombs that fell in the capital, Kyiv, and about the children who were crying, lying on their stomachs and covering their ears. Also about the fact that she herself was still going to the Pilates class eleven days ago, but is now learning to shoot a Kalashnikov. “I will defend our country,” she said on Saturday, online.
The war in Ukraine overshadowed the International Women’s Day conference, which ran under the motto “Women: The Power of Change in Iran and World Peace”. More than 1000 guests had gathered on site, another 3000 were connected via video from all over the world. There were many prominent speakers – such as Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and former French foreign and defense minister Michèle Alliot-Marie. Or Rita Süssmuth (CDU), who has supported the Iranian women’s movement for years and has called for resistance to dictators worldwide. “We are currently falling behind,” she warned in her speech, referring to the war in Ukraine. The former President of the Bundestag added: “Women are more necessary than ever to make the female face visible again in all countries of the world. We will not give up. We have to lead the world into a better state.” Because war has no female face, it emanates from men. She therefore demanded: “Let’s create a world in which men like Putin no longer have the say.” This is the central demand that must come from International Women’s Day, according to the politician.
Masumeh Bolurchi, Germany representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, saw a failure of politics: “The Ukraine conflict is proof of the failure of the policy of appeasement, which also exists towards Iran.” Iran’s opposition leader Maryam Rajavi said that the current resistance in Ukraine unites turning point in the revival of resistance culture worldwide.
The International Women’s Day conference aimed to highlight the current situation of Iranian women under the mullahs’ regime. In the country, women continue to be persecuted, imprisoned and sentenced to death.