Iranians living in Ireland have criticised a Dublin hotel for hosting an event organised by the embassy of Iran to mark the 47th anniversary of the 1979 revolution.
A protest was held outside St Helen’s Hotel in Booterstown, Co Dublin, as the event took place on Tuesday evening.
Videos of the demonstration show people shouting “shame on you” as attendees were driven into the hotel grounds.
Iran’s ambassador-designate, Eshagh Al Habib, spoke at the ceremony, which was attended by several diplomats and other officials.
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It is understood that no officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs attended the event.
Al Habib was due to present his credentials to President Catherine Connolly at a ceremony in Áras an Uachtaráin last month, but this was postponed amid concern over the crackdown of protests in Iran.
In a post about the event on X, the Iranian embassy said Al Habib “highlighted Iran’s achievements and its foreign policy aimed at promoting peace, stability, and security at the regional and global levels, as well as expanding comprehensive cooperation with countries, including Ireland”.
The 1979 revolution resulted in the monarchy being overthrown in Iran and Shia Muslim clerics taking power.
A number of Iranians living in Ireland have written to St Helen’s Hotel, asking why the event went ahead given the current situation in Iran and the number of people who have been killed in recent weeks.
Anti-government protests in Tehran began in late December, quickly spreading in size and location. The demonstrations resulted in a brutal crackdown with large numbers of people killed or going missing.
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While the Iranian government puts the death toll at just over 3,000 people, opposition groups claim it could be closer to 40,000. Tehran has blamed “terrorists and rioters” for the recent unrest.
The United Nations human rights body has condemned Iran for rights abuses and mandated an investigation into the mass killings.
Milad Mohebbi, who has lived in Ireland for two years, is among those who have contacted St Helen’s Hotel.
“By providing your venue and hospitality to representatives of this government, your hotel is – however unintentionally – ending a veneer of legitimacy and respectability to individuals linked to these grave and ongoing human rights violations,” he said in an email to the hotel.
Roshin Farahani, who has lived in Ireland for several years, has also criticised the hotel for hosting the event.
She said that for many Iranians the 1979 revolution “does not represent history or culture”.
“It represents 47 years of executions, forced confessions, torture, and the killing of protesters, including women and teenagers, whose only crime was demanding freedom. This regime has ruled through fear, not consent, and continues to do so today.”
The Iranian embassy and St Helen’s Hotel have been contacted for comment.
A protest in solidarity with the Iranian people will be held at the Spire on Dublin’s O’Connell Street on Saturday at 2pm.
