In Toronto, parts of Yonge Street were lined by crowds chanting “women, life, freedom” and “say her name: Mahsa Amini,” who died on September 16 after being arrested for allegedly violating the country’s strict Islamic dress code for women. women. At a downtown intersection, cars honked their horns as they passed protesters holding photos of loved ones who were among the victims of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752. On January 8, 2020, 176 people, including 55 Canadian citizens, were killed when Iran’s Revolutionary Guards shot down a Ukrainian airliner. The events were organized by the Association of Families of Flight Victims PS752. Arash Morattab, who lost his brother and sister-in-law in the crash, said the victims of Flight 752 have common cause with the protest movement that has rocked Iran for nearly a month and a half in the face of a heavy-handed response by security forces. “We are all victims of a regime that started killing people from the first days they came to power, and it continues until now,” Moratab said. “They killed our loved ones in January 2020 and now they are killing other people fighting for their rights.” Protesters line Yonge Street in north Toronto on Saturday in support of ongoing Iranian protests against the death of Mahsa Amini in September. (Tyler Cheese/CBC)
“It’s not just about the hijab”
The fight for justice has particular resonance for women in Iran who continue to be denied their freedom, protester Sara Ahmadi said. She said she ran into problems with the regime because she was not legally married to her common-law partner, who was killed in the plane crash. “Women have no rights in my country,” Ahmadi said. “It’s not just about the hijab. It’s about everything.” Further north on Yonge Street, protesters chanted, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, the Islamic regime must go” and “What solution? Revolution,” as drivers honked their horns in solidarity. “It’s incredible,” said Mehrdokt Hadi, one of the organizers of the event in Toronto. “Two months ago I could not imagine this crowd in the streets, now people are not afraid and people are motivated.” Members of the Iranian Canadian community and their supporters chant before joining a global “human chain” organized by the PS752 Family Association of Flight Victims in Ottawa on Saturday. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press) The protests in Iran sparked by Amini’s death initially focused on the state-owned hijab, or headscarf for women, but quickly evolved into calls for the fall of the country’s theocracy. At least 270 people have been killed and 14,000 arrested in the protests that have swept 125 Iranian cities, according to the group Human Rights Activists in Iran. The Iranian government has repeatedly claimed that foreign forces orchestrated the protests, but has provided no evidence to support the claim.
Trudeau at the Ottawa protest
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke at the protest in Ottawa, where several hundred people gathered outside the National Gallery of Canada before moving to stretch along both sides of the Alexandra Bridge. “The Iranians have made their choice, Canada is their voice” and “Canada, USA, take action, take action” featured prominently in chants heard in the nation’s capital. Trudeau told the crowd that he and other Canadians stood with the protesters in Iran. “They are not forgotten. Their voices are heard,” he said. WATCHES | ‘We’re not stopping’: Trudeau tells protesters
“Enough is enough,” Trudeau says at Iran rally
As protesters gathered across Canada to show solidarity with those in Iran protesting the crackdown on women’s rights following the death of Mahsa Amini, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a crowd in Ottawa that “we are not stopping.” The biggest round of applause for the prime minister came when he spoke of Iranians in Canada “who have benefited from the corrupt, from the horrible regime in Iran,” saying that “no longer” would Canada be a safe haven. Canada has been moved to ban thousands of members of the Iranian regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from entering Canada. Trudeau’s words on Saturday drew chants of “fire them” from the crowd. A protester waves an Iranian flag as he joins a human chain along the Alexandra Bridge connecting Ottawa and Gatineau, Que., on Saturday. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press) One of the protesters, Arian Nourishad, said she was happy to see Trudeau at the demonstration, along with Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. “Of course, you can always do more. But we’re glad it’s here,” he said. Sharooz Fazni, who came to Canada from Iran in 1984, said he was more optimistic about these protests than ever. He said he was happy to participate in protests in Canada in support of those in Iran. “Here, nobody shoots. But in Iran…”
He calls for democracy, an end to the regime
In Winnipeg, more than 100 people joined the human chain protest that started at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and stretched along the Esplanade Riel. “We want democracy for Iran. We want this oppression to end,” Kouros Dutsenas, who helped organize the event. “We want to see the end of this regime, because as long as they are there there will be no peace or justice, not only for Iranians but for a large area of the Middle East,” he said. People form a chain in front of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in downtown Winnipeg on Saturday. (Justin Fraser/CBC) The real estate agent lost his fiancee when Flight 752 was shot down. Eight of those killed in the disaster were from Winnipeg. He is now director of the PS752 Flight Victims Families Association. “We called [for] this human chain to commemorate and celebrate the lives of the people we have lost [to the regime]”, said Dussenas. Douschenas, and other leaders from Manitoba’s Iranian community, met with Trudeau and members of parliament in Winnipeg on Friday at the Tehran Cafe. In Saskatoon, several city officials, including Mayor Charlie Clark, joined hundreds of people in a march that started from the top of the University Bridge and made its way downtown to city hall. Hundreds demonstrated in Saskatoon Saturday afternoon to support the Iranian people’s freedom movement and condemn the deaths and arrests of protesters. (Trevor Bothorel/Radio-Canada) One of the organizers said the global protests are meant to highlight what is happening in Iran. “[It’s] putting the spotlight on and increasing pressure on the Iranian government to stop killing protesters, and I think attention plays a big role in achieving that goal,” said Pooyan Arab, director of the Saskatoon Iranian Cultural Association and one of its organizers course.
Personal experience
Calgary’s Edworthy Park was packed with more than 500 people who stood side by side in defiance of the Iranian regime, chanting Amini’s name and calling on the Canadian government to help make a change. Among them was Ghazal Khanlarbig. She has been in Canada since she was 14. “When I was 13, I was at a party with my aunt and I got arrested by the morality police for attending a birthday party,” Khanlarbig said. “I will never forget those 15 hours… It was actually a few months before I came to Canada and I was crying and begging because I thought I would never be able to leave Iran.” Decades later, he protests against this regime thousands of kilometers away. A protester holds an Iranian flag at a rally in Calgary on Saturday. (Evelyne Asselin/Radio-Canada) Meanwhile, about 100 people rallied in support of the Iranian protesters in Edmonton. The gathering was hosted by the Iranian Heritage Society of Edmonton (IHSE) along with the PS752 Flight Families Association. Organizer Reza Akbari, president of the IHSE, said the Iranian government’s tight control of the internet is limiting people’s ability to share their stories about what is happening in Iran’s schools and streets. She said the protest was a way to make their voices heard and ensure their message was heard. About 100 people turned out in Edmonton to support the Iranian protesters. The rally ended with supporters marching down Whyte Avenue before forming a human chain. (Craig Ryan/CBC)
“Please be our voice”
In Vancouver, thousands of people joined hands along the Lions Gate Bridge, which connects Vancouver to North Vancouver, to form a human chain starting at noon PT. The group held banners and waved flags as passing motorists honked their horns. According to the Vancouver Police Department, there were 15,000 to 20,000 people on the bridge at the height of the rally. The demonstration was peaceful with no arrests, police said. Mass protest at the Lionsgate Bridge by the local Iranian community against the current Iranian regime. People shouting ‘Azaadi’ (Freedom) slogans. Both sides of the bridge are covered by protesters forming a human chain. pic.twitter.com/D6ezYW5a2J —@Sohrab_S About 200 people demonstrated Saturday at Harborside Park in St. John’s. Aysan, one of the protest organizers, said she was arrested in Iran and forced to wear a hijab. CBC News is referring to her only by her first name to protect her family, who are still in Iran. Aisan called on people to speak out to help bring about regime change in Iran. “What we want from the people of the world, the people of Canada, first of all, please be our voice. You may not know this, but being your voice, even sharing your story in social media can save lives,” he said. “We are the same people as you. Just because we were born in the Middle East doesn’t mean we deserve to be murdered. And we want the world [to] know that and stop supporting the regime.” Aysan has the names of about 150 people she said have been captured or killed in Iran. CBC News is using only Aysan’s first name to protect her family still in Iran.
