Paris, June 23, 2012 - I love you too.  Madame Rajavi, distinguished guests, supporters of a free, democratic Iran, my name is David Phillips, and along with my wife, Dawn, and daughter Sarah, we're honored to be here with you today.  And I want to especially thank those dedicated people listening right now at Camp Ashraf and Camp Liberty.  You are the vanguard of freedom. 

I am one of the few people that can say, I not only lived at Camp Ashraf for a year, I also lived at Camp Liberty for over a year.  But when I was there, we had running water, we had recreation facilities, we had shade.  We also had freedom of movement.  Unfortunately that's not the case now.  What part of protected person isn't understood?  It sure is quite clear to me, because the card, the protected person identity card that's carried by the 3,400 people at Camp Ashraf and Camp Liberty, it spells it out.  And in 2004, before anyone was issued those cards, one was issued to me.  This is the first time I've publicly shown, I have card number zero with my name and face on it so that I would never forget the promise we made to the other 3,400 people who received these cards after me.  And I will carry this card until they are all out of harm's way.  And the card doesn't say the person's a terrorist.  It doesn't say they're a detainee.  It doesn't say they're an insurgent. It says the bearer of this card is a protected person under the agreements of the Fourth Geneva Convention.  [applause]

A short time ago, I sat in a court room and had to restrain myself as I heard my soldiers and myself denigrated by an attorney who said we didn't do our job at Camp Ashraf.  And I listened as he said, the soldiers there never fully inspected, they never found any of these weapons that were there, and they were denied access to certain areas.  Well, let me tell you, it was my responsibility to conduct those searches.  And I used this very map to ensure that every square meter of Camp Ashraf was inspected.  [applause]  And how thoroughly was it inspected?  I had to bet the life of my soldiers and myself on it because we lived at Camp Ashraf.  That is how thoroughly it was inspected.  If the government thinks that's not good enough, go live at Ashraf for a while.  And one day, if someone claims they show up at Ashraf and they found weapons, my response is, yeah, when did you hide them there?  Thank you.  [applause]

Madame Rajavi, ladies and gentlemen, my brothers and sisters in Ashraf, we come together again in our quest for freedom and justice.  What is happening at Liberty and Ashraf is not freedom and justice.  What is happening in Iran is not freedom and justice.  It is terrorism being executed by the governments of Iraq and Iran.  Yet the PMOI is still being labeled as a terrorist by the U.S. government.  As the first anti-terrorism office for all coalition forces in Iraq and later as the base commander of Camp Ashraf, I assure everyone the PMOI is not a terrorist organization.  For me, they remain among the best allies every American warrior that ever served at Camp Ashraf ever had.  I was honored to have the former National Liberation Army on my flank and I on theirs.  I knew if we had encountered an ambush and attack like was seen in 2009, 2011 on Camp Ashraf, and my soldiers and Marines were fallen, the members of the former NLA would have rushed to our rescue as quick as they ran to their comrades.  [applause]

The residents of Ashraf and Liberty proved their resolve to democracy and to each other every day.  Despite all the horrors cast upon them since 2009, not one person has broken ranks.  Give them a round of applause.  [applause]  They stand firmly together.  They stand firmly together, we must stand firmly with them.  Sometimes great people are hard to find.  But not at Ashraf and Liberty, for they are 3,400 strong standing firmly together.  [applause] Like the battle for Britain, history will remember this dark time as Iranian democracy's finest hour.  My brothers and sisters at Ashraf and Liberty, we were together on the desert of Diyala province.  We are together today.  And we will be together always.  And one day, together in our lifetimes, we will witness freedom and justice in Iran.  [applause] Thank you.

Maryam Rajavi and friends let us stand and honor the brave souls that live in Ashraf today and our defending your right of freedom.  [applause] We must defend the residents of Ashraf and Liberty.  We just defend what is right.  We must defend freedom.  We must take the MEK off the terrorist list.  And yes, we must hold Iraq responsible for what they have done.  Bless the people of Ashraf and Liberty.  Pray for their freedom.  The world must protect the people of Ashraf and Liberty.  [applause]

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