CBC News – Around 400 people gathered outside St. John’s City Hall on Saturday to call for a regime change in Iran.
“We need to tell the people around the world that we want to stop the ruling, we want to stop their actions in the world, ” demonstrator Mostafa Rokinizadeh told CBC News.
This was just one of many protests that took place across Canada, where protesters loudly supported exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, as the leader of Iran’s democratic transition.
St. John’s demonstrator, Nooshin Ghaderi, said many members of N.L.’s Iranian community travelled to Toronto for the larger protest. Those that couldn’t go gathered outside of city hall.
“We’re trying to be here in protest, to speak up for what we want, just doing the same thing that our people are sisters and brothers and the rest of the nation’s been trying to do for over a month,” said Ghaderi.
Anti-government protests in response to Iran’s economic crises started at the end of December. Protests have been ongoing and now call for an end to Iran’s Islamic Republic.
The Iranian government cracked down on protests, including by implementing an internet blackout, and has said more than 3,000 people have been killed.
Meanwhile, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in counting deaths during previous rounds of unrest in Iran, put the death toll at over 7,000.
“They shut down protesters, they shut down the internet, they killed people. And so we are here to be their voice,” said demonstrator Shima Jalaeim.
She said protesters also want the Canadian government to pay attention, and negotiate with the Islamic regime.
Canada imposes sanctions
In the wake of protests taking place across the country, Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand announced that Canada would be imposing additional sanctions against seven people linked to Iranian state bodies.
“Canada is implementing these sanctions to address Iran’s use of transnational repression, violence and repressive tactics,” said the release. “The imposition of these sanctions sends a clear message that Canada will not tolerate the Iranian regime’s attempts to intimidate, harm or silence voices inside or outside Iran.”
Demonstrator Faezeh Farahani said she wants other countries to intervene in the war.
“I have a lot of friends and families back in Iran … people are like, with bare hands. They don’t have guns there. They can’t do anything,” she said. “Without help from like, foreign countries like the U.S., I don’t think that anyone could actually free them at this point.”
On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump signaled support for a regime change in Iran, and declared that more power will soon be in the Middle East, as the Pentagon sent a second aircraft carrier to the region.
Meanwhile, protesters in Canada continue to loudly support Pahlavi for that change.
“People believe that Reza Pahlavi is the true leader in this whole revolution that’s happening,” said Farahani.