Munich, Germany – Approximately 250,000 people demonstrated in Munich on Saturday, February 14, 2026, against the government of Iran, according to police estimates. The demonstration unfolded as world leaders convened in the city for the Munich Security Conference.
The protest, largely driven by supporters of the Pahlavi dynasty, took place on the Theresienwiese fairgrounds. Demonstrators denounced the Islamic Republic’s leadership following the violent suppression of nationwide protests in January, where human rights groups report thousands were killed. Many protesters carried flags bearing the emblem of the former monarchy – a lion and a sun against a green, white and red striped background.
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran, addressed the Munich Security Conference prior to the demonstration, appealing to U.S. President Donald Trump for assistance to the Iranian people. He also called for a “humanitarian intervention” to prevent further loss of life in Iran, advocating for military action to dismantle what he described as the regime’s oppressive structures.
“We are here today to support the people in Iran that were murdered by the mullah regime,” said Ali Farzad, a 40-year-old protester, as reported by AFP. “And we are here to support Reza Pahlavi as our leader through the transition for a period.”
Another protester, who identified himself only as Said, 62, and originally from Iran, stated, “The Iranian regime is a dead regime. It must be game over.”
Chants of “Javid shah” (long live the shah), “Pahlavi bar migarde” (Pahlavi is coming back), and “Reza II” echoed through the Theresienwiese, signaling support for Pahlavi’s potential leadership. Razieh Shahverdi, a 34-year-old Iranian living in Paris, explained her presence at the demonstration was in response to Pahlavi’s call for diaspora support for those protesting within Iran. “So that is why we are here, to amplify their voices and to show our support,” she told AFP. “We are here to ask the world to support the leader of Iranians in the transition phase, to have a transitional government and then to have a referendum. And also we need intervention from the foreign powers.”
Several demonstrators expressed skepticism towards international negotiations with Iran, arguing that the current Iranian leadership lacks legitimacy. “They shouldn’t talk to them because they are not actually a government. We don’t like them, we don’t accept them,” said Riana, a 40-year-old doctor in Germany, who declined to provide her last name due to concerns for her family’s safety. She added that “too many people have been killed and too many people have been injured” and that negotiators are not representative of the Iranian people.
The demonstration coincided with the 62nd Munich Security Conference and was part of a coordinated global day of action, with simultaneous rallies planned in Toronto and Los Angeles. Last week, approximately 10,000 people rallied in Berlin at the call of the MEK, an exiled Iranian opposition group.
The Theresienwiese, normally the site of the annual Oktoberfest, is located less than 3km from the security conference venue. As of Saturday evening, the Iranian government had not issued a public response to the demonstration in Munich.
