To: His Excellency Hojjatoleslam Sayed Mohammad Khatami, President of Iran
BOBBY SANDS STREET, Tehran, Iran.
THE name Bobby Sands is known throughout the world, symbolising the heroism of an Irish prisoner and his comrades who died on hunger strike in their unequal fight against their British jailors. Over the course of the past two years British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has been lobbying Iran’s Foreign Minister to change the name of Bobby Sands Street, where the British Embassy is situated, in the capital Tehran. (It was formerly known as Winston Churchill Street.)
Bobby Sands was an Irish patriot and martyr, who died on 5 May 1981, after 66 days on hunger strike. Whilst in prison he was elected as a Member of Parliament [MP]. One hundred thousand people attended his funeral, including the Iranian ambassador to Sweden.
The British government has no right to be in Ireland, just as it has no right to be interfering in the affairs of any other nation.
We appeal to the Iranian government and its people not to bow to requests from the British government to rename Bobby Sands Street.
Sincerely,
Here is a PDF of the Iranian petition of all those that signed the petition and their comments.
