You must help us chant Iranian demonstrators in Montreal
2 min read
You must help us chant Iranian demonstrators in Montreal
Hundreds of demonstrators flocked to the Montreal offices of Radio-Canada on Wednesday evening, imploring the Canadian media to highlight the injustices committed by the regime of President Ebrahim Raisi. They also gathered to honor the memory of Mahsa Amini and to demand an end to compulsory veiling in Iran.
“No to the compulsory hijab”, repeated the demonstrators, most of Iranian origin and speaking Persian. The group gathered around 5 p.m., at the corner of René-Lévesque Boulevard and Sainte-Élisabeth Street, near the CHUM. He then headed for the Radio-Canada offices, a kilometer away, around 6 p.m., blocking the boulevard to eastbound traffic.
The young Kurdish woman had been arrested by the country’s “morality police” for “wearing inappropriate clothing”. She was on a trip to Tehran with her family.
As Le Devoir reported on Tuesday , the death of Mahsa Amini has angered thousands of Iranian citizens and activists, who have taken to the streets and social media to criticize the brutal methods of the morality police. At least eight people have been killed in the wake of protests in Iran, according to the latest reports.
Canada’s support required
Hamed Ghanbari, co-organizer of the Montreal demonstration on Wednesday, is unequivocal: “[The regime] killed an innocent young lady, and they deny it. He killed us all. Forty years after the revolution,
The latter is a Canadian citizen and has lived in the country for 12 years. He claims to have never stopped fighting for his country of origin, “afflicted by the injustices that [his] relatives still suffer” there.
The demonstration was organized very quickly, in “about two days”, he said. With, at the start, three of his acquaintances, Hamed Ghanbari managed to mobilize hundreds of people, using social networks.
The activist implores Canadians to put more pressure on their various levels of government to denounce the methods of the Iranian regime. He also asks the Canadian media to cover more of the “injustices” suffered by Iranians. “CBC, BBC, you have to hear us,” chanted the demonstrators.
“Internet for Iran,” others shouted. It is not a coincidence. Although access to the internet and social media from outside has long remained restricted in Iran,
“My immediate family does not have internet access at the moment. It’s a big problem. We want the Government of Canada, the government of our country, to help us defend the innocent people who are being killed in Iran. Iranians have no voice,” concludes Hamed Ghanbari.
