As uprisings continue in Iran, Canadians across the country are showing support by organizing and marching in protests, showcasing solidarity for the thousands risking their lives to dismantle the regime.
Protests organized by local human rights groups and Iranian-Canadian organizations were held on Saturday in Toronto, Winnipeg, Halifax, Montreal and other communities across Canada. Thousands marched for the Iranian people who are protesting for human rights.
“It’s a serious challenge to the Islamic Republic and definitely a legitimacy crisis that they’re dealing with,” Negar Mortazavi, host of The Iran Podcast, said on CTV News Channel Saturday. “The government, or the regime, has been willing and capable to suppress these types of protests with very brutal violence, by security forces shooting directly at protesters.”
The uproar was sparked late September when 22-year-old, Mahsa Amini, died while in custody of the so-called “morality police,” a unit that enforces mandatory headscarves for women and girls in Iran. She was taken to a “re-education centre” for not wearing her hijab correctly and later died, her family says she was beaten to death while officials say it was a heart attack.
Amini’s death has become a symbol of oppression Iranian women have faced for decades.
In Iran, thousands march in the streets and many women and girls continue to remove their headscarves in support of Amini. The government in turn has used violent tactics to silence the protesters. Over 200 people have been killed and thousands have been arrested, the Associated Press has reported
One woman who spoke with CTVNews.ca Saturday said looking overseas from Canada at the ongoing “human rights violations” is terrifying.
“I’m not just scared and worried for my brothers and sisters and my nieces and nephews (who) live there,” she said over the phone on Saturday. “I’m more worried about what’s happening for all those little kids and those young people in the streets.”
CTVNews.ca is protecting the woman’s identity at her request due to safety reasons.
More than a decade ago she and her husband moved Canada, with the goal of giving their daughter a better life. Today, she lives in the Greater Toronto Area says she is proud of the people protesting in Iran.
“This is so brave, and high school girls, other young girls in the street and how the other men and young boys support them, I’m so proud of them,” she said. “But at the same time, I’m so scared for them.”
Last week Iranian climber, Elnaz Rekabi, competed in South Korea without her headscarf. BBC reported she was missing shortly after, only for her to resurface in Tehran, Iran’s capital, making what some are calling a forced apology for the “unintentional” act.
Instead, protestors have taken Rekabi as another symbol for the continued uprising.
The Iranian woman from the GTA was present during the previous 2009 protests, after the Iranian presidential election was plagued by irregularities and allegations of vote-rigging. She says the movement in 2022 is much bigger.
“I know the regime, I know the people and I know the situation and I totally believe that this time, this is not just a protest… this is the beginning of the revolution,” she said.
More recent widespread protests like this took hold of Iran in 2019 when Iranians displayed anger towards soaring food and gas prices. Mortazavi said the use of vicious tactics will have a mixed effect on this uprising.
“We’re seeing extreme images of courage and bravery, especially by women (and) young girls who are risking their lives continuing to protest inside the country,” she said. “But it (violence) definitely has that effect of scaring people and essentially reducing some of the protesters with the security forces present.”
The Canadian government has responded to the protests in Iran, by permanently banning top members of the regime from coming into the country, restricting financial transactions with Iran and enforcing sanction measures.
More recently, the government has imposed targeted sanctions on Iranian officials with a focus on those with links to propaganda and torture, including the Fars News Agency, which is believed to be affiliated with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Iran’s Guardian Council, which blocks electoral candidates who don’t align with the regime’s ideology.
As of October 19, Canada has imposed sanctions on 89 Iranian individuals and 177 entities.
Many supporters believe the protests are a revolution sparking widespread change across Iran. Mortazavi says it’s too early to know if the protests will have the outcome people are hoping for.
“They’re chanting for an end to the system, to the discrimination, to the suppression to this inequality, injustice,” she said. “Will the protesters be able to continue and sustain? It depends on a lot of factors of how long this movement will continue especially inside the country.”
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
