Reza Pahlavi is in Frankfurt on Saturday to accept a controversial German freedom prize, triggering mass demonstrations and sharp political boycotts across the city.
Tens of thousands of people are gathering across Frankfurt as the Friedrich Naumann Foundation awards its Freedom Prize in the historic Paulskirche. While the prize officially honours the people of Iran for their courage in the fight for democracy, the decision to have the exiled son of Iran's last Shah accept it on their behalf has provoked deep division.
Supporters of Pahlavi have organised a massive rally in the city, while political opponents, human rights advocates, and local officials have denounced the ceremony or refused to attend.
Selection of the Shah's son
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation, which is affiliated with Germany's Free Democratic Party, established the Freedom Prize to honour individuals and movements advancing liberty and civil rights. Foundation chairman Steffen Saebisch explained that the award was intended to pay tribute to the courage and freedom will of hundreds of thousands of Iranians resisting state oppression.
The foundation chose Pahlavi to receive the distinction as a trustee, holding it until it can be delivered directly to freely elected representatives in Iran. Saebisch defended the choice by calling Pahlavi the best-known figure in the Iranian opposition, pointing to his advocacy for secular democracy, his refusal to impose a monarchical system, and his public backing of reconciliation with Israel.
However, the decision to elevate Pahlavi has drawn fierce criticism from across the Iranian diaspora and German politics. Critics argue that he cannot represent the diverse opposition and should not be granted a stage that implies democratic legitimacy he has never won at the ballot box.
Political boycotts and open letter
Opponents also point to the record of his father, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, whose authoritarian regime jailed, tortured, and persecuted political dissidents. Those human rights abuses were documented during the Shah's rule, including on page 183 of an Amnesty International report detailing political imprisonment and torture by the SAVAK secret police.
The Society for Threatened Peoples has accused Pahlavi of failing to clearly distance himself from his father's state crimes. In an open letter to the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, high-profile German politicians and Iranian exile groups urged the organisation to reconsider the honour.
Signatories to the protest letter include former German ambassador to the United Nations Joachim Ruecker, former federal justice minister Brigitte Zypries, and former Bundestag president Wolfgang Thierse, all members of the Social Democratic Party. They were joined by numerous Iranian civil society organisations and former political prisoners who warned that the ceremony risks misrepresenting the Iranian democratic movement.
Resistance is equally fierce among Frankfurt officials. The local chapters of the Social Democrats, the Greens, The Left, and Volt have all condemned the award. Frankfurt head of cultural affairs Ina Hartwig described the selection as very unfortunate and announced that she would not attend, while the Social Democratic faction on the city council confirmed an official boycott. The Left party went further, calling on the municipality to cancel the rental contract for the venue.
Reza Pahlavi and the opposition
Pahlavi was born in Tehran in 1960 as the crown prince and heir apparent to the Iranian throne. He was undergoing jet pilot training in the United States when the 1979 Islamic Revolution overthrew his father, forcing the royal family into exile. He has lived in the United States ever since, residing near Washington.
Over decades in exile, Pahlavi has emerged as one of the most prominent international opponents of the Islamic Republic. He advocates for a secular, democratic Iran where religion is strictly separated from government affairs. Rather than demanding the restoration of the monarchy, he maintains that the Iranian people must decide for themselves in a referendum whether their country becomes a republic or a monarchy.
In an interview with Reuters, Pahlavi proposed that he could lead a temporary transitional administration tasked with drafting a new constitution and paving the way for free national elections. While followers view him as a potential leadership figure after the fall of the Islamic Republic, the broader opposition remains deeply divided, and observers note that assessing his true domestic support within Iran is very difficult.
Paulskirche tradition and venue dispute
The choice of venue has added to the political sensitivity of the event. Paulskirche is regarded as the cradle of German democracy, having hosted the first freely elected all-German National Assembly in 1848. The building serves as a national symbol of freedom and democracy.
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation has presented its biennial Freedom Prize in the historic hall since 2006, meaning the location was part of an established tradition rather than a choice made specifically for Pahlavi. The city of Frankfurt regularly rents Paulskirche to third parties through its municipal protocol office, leaving honouree selections entirely to event organisers.
Responding to local criticism, cultural affairs chief Hartwig clarified that the city magistrate had approved the rental contract before municipal authorities knew that Pahlavi would be the person stepping forward to receive the prize.
Rival demonstrations across Frankfurt
The ceremony is accompanied by extensive street mobilisations throughout Saturday, led by a massive demonstration of Pahlavi supporters. Frankfurt authorities registered 30,000 people for the main pro-Pahlavi gathering in the Ostpark, where the exiled figure is scheduled to deliver a speech.
Around 24,000 marchers assembled on the historic Roemerberg square to parade through the city toward the park between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., while another 6,000 participants were registered to head straight to the rally grounds, which remain open from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Assembly authorities relocated the mass rally to Ostpark from its original venue at Weseler Werft. City officials explained that the riverbank along the Main was not designed for such high numbers, noting that the larger open space in Ostpark was required to prevent overcrowding and injuries.
Three smaller gatherings are also taking place across the city. Between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., roughly 300 to 350 demonstrators gathered at the corner of Berliner Strasse and Neue Kraeme to express solidarity with the people of Iran. Nearby at the Brockhaus fountain on the Zeil shopping promenade, a small group of 10 to 15 people staged a protest against human rights violations in Iran from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
A separate gathering of 500 registered participants took place at Rossmarkt between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., where authorities expected attendees close to the regime in Tehran. The demonstrations take place only one week after severe riots and looting broke out on the Zeil following peaceful Gen-Z protests. While police confirmed there was no connection between those youth riots and the Iran demonstrations, and noted no further Gen-Z protests were planned for the weekend, a police spokesperson said officers were keeping the Zeil under heightened observation.
Road closures and transit disruption
City administrators warned of severe traffic congestion throughout the day, having activated electronic overhead warning signs for motorists as early as Friday morning. Police anticipated that the 24,000-strong procession would begin moving toward Ostpark around midday, prompting rolling street closures.
The official route takes marchers from Roemerberg along Mainkai, Schoene Aussicht, Oskar-von-Miller-Strasse, Sonnemannstrasse, Grusonstrasse, Danziger Platz, and Ostparkstrasse to reach Ostpark, closing the route and adjoining streets to vehicle traffic.
Public transport operator RMV announced substantial streetcar disruptions lasting until at least 2:00 p.m., confirming that the central Altstadt tram route was closed. Tram lines 10, 11, and 14 were rerouted in both directions via Sachsenhausen, while line 12 operated between Hugo-Junkers-Strasse and Lokalbahnhof via Konstablerwache and Heiliggeist before turning around.
While the city advised drivers to bypass the city centre broadly or use public transit, passengers also faced unrelated weekend maintenance on the underground network. Technical test runs forced the total cancellation of the U4 subway line from Saturday through Monday, while the U5 line was limited to running between Preungesheim and Hauptfriedhof.
