About 200,000 join Iran anti-government demonstration in Munich: police

• Approximately 200,000 people gathered at Munich's Theresienwiese on Saturday to denounce the Iranian government, marking a significant show of support for exiled figure Reza Pahlavi and his calls for the monarchy's return.
• The rally coincided with Pahlavi’s appearance at the Munich Security Conference, where he urged world leaders—specifically Trump—to launch a "humanitarian intervention" following the violent suppression of domestic protests in Iran.

About 200,000 people joined a demonstration against the Iranian government in Munich on Saturday, police said, as world leaders gathered nearby for a security conference.

The pro-monarchist protesters rallied on the German city's Theresienwiese fairgrounds, denouncing the leadership of Iran's Islamic Republic following the deadly repression of nationwide protests in January.

Human rights groups have reported that thousands of protesters were killed in Iran.

The crowd joined in chants supporting Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the former shah of Iran, with many waving flags with a lion and a sun against horizontal green, white and red stripes, the emblem of the monarchy overthrown in 1979.

Speakers chanted slogans including "Javid shah" (long live the shah), "Pahlavi bar migarde" (Pahlavi is coming back) and "Reza II", in a call for Pahlavi to become the successor to the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty, his grandfather Reza Shah.

Rallies calling for international action against Tehran are also planned in Toronto and Los Angeles on Saturday.

Pahlavi earlier spoke at the Munich Security Conference and called on US President Donald Trump to "help" the Iranian people.

Pahlavi, who has lived in exile since his father was overthrown in the 1979 revolution, urged an outside "humanitarian intervention to prevent more innocent lives" being lost in Iran.

Last week, an estimated 10,000 people rallied in Berlin in response to a call from the MEK, an exiled Iranian opposition group considered "terrorist" by Tehran.

Ready to lead “transition” 

The son of Iran's toppled former monarch told the rally he is ready to lead Iran's "transition".

"I am here to guarantee a transition to a secular democratic future," Reza Pahlavi told the crowd.

"I am committed to be the leader of transition for you so we can one day have the final opportunity to decide the fate of our country through a democratic, transparent process to the ballot box."