Calla Walsh, a former Democratic activist and Elizabeth Warren campaign volunteer, appeared in Iranian state media coverage of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral and called him the “greatest anti-imperialist leader” of her lifetime.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A former Democratic activist and volunteer for Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign appeared in Iranian state media coverage of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral, praising the late Iranian supreme leader and criticizing the United States and Israel.
Calla Walsh, 22, attended the funeral wearing a hijab and traditional Muslim clothing and described herself during a documentary-style interview with Iranian state media as “a journalist, originally from the United States.”
Walsh said the United States and Israel had failed if their goal was to weaken Iran by killing Khamenei.
“The US and Israel were mistaken in thinking that by assassinating the leader that they could overthrow the Islamic Republic. In fact, this aggressive move, this audacious move, has actually only had the opposite effect, and that the people are more determined than ever in favor of the revolution, in defending the Islamic Republic, in defending Iran’s sovereignty, and there is still continuity in the leadership of the revolution,” Walsh said.
She also described Khamenei as a global figure for anti-Western movements.
“He was a leader to all people of the world who struggle against imperialism, against arrogance, against Zionism, against genocide,” she said. “To me, he was the greatest anti-imperialist leader to have lived during my lifetime.”
Iran began a weeklong funeral last weekend for Khamenei, months after an airstrike killed him at the start of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
Walsh’s political background began in Democratic activist circles. She started out as a youth leader in Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey’s 2020 reelection campaign, volunteered for Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign and supported progressive causes.
The Free Press reported that Walsh is now on a U.S. government watchlist “for her expansive dealings with the governments of Cuba and Iran.”
According to the New York Post, Walsh spoke with Iran’s PressTV during the funeral and praised Khamenei as a heroic figure opposing America and Israel.
The Post reported that Walsh had previously been arrested for antisemitic vandalism in the United States. She was arrested in 2023 after vandalizing the New Hampshire office of an Israeli company during a protest over the war in Gaza.
Walsh, a former co-chair of the National Network on Cuba and a supporter of the CodePink nonprofits, has repeatedly criticized U.S. military actions abroad, according to the submitted material.
She also previously promoted the Mapping Project, which listed names and addresses of nearly 500 institutions in Massachusetts, many connected to the Jewish community or Israel. Walsh has also written online that “there is no ‘peaceful solution’ under military occupation” for Palestinians.
During what was described as her third visit to Iran, Walsh provided funeral coverage for the left-wing activism network Vocal Politics and for Iranian state media.
On the first day of funeral coverage for Vocal Politics, Walsh described Khamenei as a “martyred” leader and said his family members were “martyred with him.” She said Khamenei “was more than just à state head; he was the father of a nation, he was the leader of the Islamic Revolution.”
Walsh also praised the response of Iranians after Khamenei’s death, saying, “today we see the Iranian people are more emboldened and more resistant to US imperialism, to Israeli aggression than ever.”
On the second day of the funeral, Walsh reported for Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting and described Khamenei as an “admirer of poetry and literature” and a “prolific poet.” She said poetry readings at the funeral would “break a Guinness world record of continuous poetry recitation in honor of his life and resistance.”
In a later interview with Press TV, which is owned by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, Walsh again praised Khamenei’s legacy and suggested that his speeches and writings could serve as a guide for activists outside Iran.
“Salaam, my name is Kala Walsh. I’m a journalist, originally from the United States, but I live and work in Lebanon, and this is my third visit to Iran. The US and Israel were mistaken in thinking that by assassinating the leader that they could overthrow the Islamic Republic. In fact, this aggressive move, this audacious move, has actually only had the opposite effect, and that the people are more determined than ever in favor of the revolution, in defending the Islamic Republic, in defending Iran’s sovereignty, and there is still continuity in the leadership of the revolution,” Walsh said.
“Now, I think it’s fair to say that, despite us not trusting the US and Israel to fulfill their agreements, we know this war is probably not over, but it’s still fair to say that the US has been more humiliated than it has ever been before in its history, and it has signed away huge concessions to Iran. It seems like this funeral will be one of the biggest funerals in all of world history, because Sayyid Khamenei was the leader of the Iranian people. He was also a religious leader for tens of millions of Shia Muslims across the world, and even beyond that, he was a leader to all people of the world who struggle against imperialism, against arrogance, against Zionism, against genocide. To me, he was the greatest anti-imperialist leader to have lived during my lifetime,” she continued.
Walsh said her visits to Iran had shown her different stages of what she described as U.S.-Israeli aggression against the country.
“My observations throughout my visits on Iran, we see this progression of these different stages of US-Israeli aggression against Iran. Of course, since 1979, since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the US and Israel have been at war against Iran through different means. This is the first state funeral, the funeral of a great leader that I have attended, but truly their legacy is still alive and is being carried on by every Iranian and every anti-imperialist, every anti-Zionist who is struggling against the system of arrogance and domination today,” Walsh said.
She then described Khamenei’s writings and speeches as material to be studied.
“I think Sayyid Khamenei left us with so many of his speeches, his writings, his books that we can study and learn from. Of course, he never claimed to have the answer to every question. He had an incredibly humble disposition that I think is rare in many world leaders today, and really should be learned from, but he still gave us so many answers and so many frameworks of kindness, of humility, of grace, of faith, of steadfastness, of resistance, even if you were the last person left resisting, that it is still the correct and righteous thing to do to continue resisting,” Walsh said.
Walsh also questioned how lessons from Iran’s Islamic Revolution could be spread to people in the West, particularly in the United States.
“And for me, as a young person coming from the West, I think one of Sayyid Khamenei’s contributions and writings that I was most interested in and drawn to was his messages to the Western youth, and so, I guess I would ask Sayyid Khamenei, how can we transmit the lessons of the Iranian Revolution, the Islamic Revolution? How can we transmit those lessons to people in the West, especially the United States? No matter how much Iran is opposed to the government of the US, the US Empire, it has always stood in solidarity with the US people,” Walsh said.
Walsh’s appearance at Khamenei’s funeral marks a sharp turn from her early role in Democratic campaigns in Massachusetts to public participation in Iranian state media coverage during one of the Islamic Republic’s most politically significant ceremonies.
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