We, Iranian Australians, the global Iranian diaspora, and all citizens of democratic nations who value mental health, public safety, and freedom from terror, urgently call on the Australian Government first, and then all democratic governments worldwide, to take two immediate, responsible actions:

1. Ban the public display and use of the Islamic Republic of Iran flag in any rallies, demonstrations, or public spaces. This is not about restricting speech, it is a basic duty of care for mental health and public safety.
2. Immediately cease issuing permits for rallies, marches, or public events organised by supporters of Hamas, Hezbollah, or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

For millions of Iranians who escaped the regime’s brutality, the central emblem on the Islamic Republic flag, the stylised word “Allah”, is not a neutral religious symbol. It is a direct trigger of severe psychological trauma. It is the same flag that flew over decades of executions, torture, mass arrests, and the recent slaughter of thousands of unarmed civilians protesting for basic freedoms.

Every time we see that flag waving in the streets of Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Toronto, London, Paris, New York, or Berlin, the trauma floods back. It follows us to work, shatters our concentration, spikes anxiety, and makes us feel unsafe in the very countries we chose as safe havens. This is not “just politics.” This is real human suffering playing out in public.

Australia has officially listed the IRGC as a terrorist entity. The United States, Canada, the European Union (as of 2026), and several other democracies have done the same. Hamas and Hezbollah are universally recognised terrorist organisations. Yet in too many Western cities, their flags, slogans, and supporters still march openly, often under the cover of “pro-Palestinian” activism that frequently merges with open endorsement of the Islamic Republic, the IRGC, and its terror proxies.

This must stop.

To the Australian Government (Prime Minister, Minister for Home Affairs, and Parliament):

You have already taken the principled step of listing the IRGC as terrorists. Now finish the job. Protect your Iranian Australian residents the same way you would protect any other community from symbols of violence and trauma. Consistency is not weakness, it is strength.

To all democratic governments worldwide, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union and its member states, New Zealand, and every nation that upholds human rights and the rule of law:

The Islamic Republic’s symbols and terror networks do not respect borders. Neither should our response. If we rightly ban Nazi flags and ISIS symbols without hesitation, we cannot treat the flag of a regime that murders its own people and exports terrorism any differently. Mental health matters for everyone. Public safety is not optional. Democratic values demand consistency.

This issue may appear niche to some, “just another flag”, but it is profoundly important. Allowing trauma triggers and terror-linked symbols to dominate public spaces normalises fear, undermines social cohesion, damages workplace productivity, and signals to extremists that our democracies are open stages for their ideology. It tells diaspora who fled tyranny that their suffering is invisible.

We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for the same protection every democratic society already offers other communities. We are asking you to prove that freedom and safety in the West are real, not selective.

Sign this petition if you believe:

• Trauma is real and deserves protection, no matter who's it is
• Terrorist entities and their symbols should not march freely in democratic streets
• Mental health and public safety must apply equally to all residents
• Democracies must stand together against exported repression and terrorism

Every signature sends a clear message: the Iranian people, both inside Iran and in the diaspora, are not alone. Our democracies will no longer provide safe platforms for those who celebrate or enable tyranny.

Australia can lead by example. The rest of the democratic world must follow.

This is about healing, not hatred. About safety, not division. About proving that the values of freedom, compassion, and courage still define the free world.

Please sign, share widely with friends and family across Australia and globally, and help turn this into a worldwide call for consistency and care.

Thank you, from every Iranian who still flinches at the sight of that flag on free soil, and from everyone who believes no one should have to.