Across Canada and around the world, protesters stood shoulder to shoulder Saturday in solidarity for women’s rights and freedom in Iran, as the country enters its third consecutive week of turbulent protests fueled by the death of a 22-year-old woman in police custody. .
From Vancouver to Halifax, tens of thousands took to Canadian streets this weekend. In Richmond Hill, Ontario, protesters flooded Yonge St., ending with a demonstration outside a library, some with signs with slogans including “Free Iran”.
In Halifax, hundreds marched through the streets, waving flags and banners, calling for justice.
“All they want is humanitarian rights”, Iranian-Canadian Siavesh Farrahi he told CTV News Atlantic. “We want women’s rights. That’s all we want and we need the support of Canadians.”
In addition to the demonstrations here in Canada, people protested in major cities around the world. The chants could be heard from London to Sydney.
And in each demonstration, a name was repeated: Mahsa Amini.
Amini is the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died last month after being detained by the Islamic Republic morality police.
She was arrested simply because her headscarf was allegedly too loose, a violation of the strict Islamic dress code.
“It really breaks my heart when I think about the situation, because she had her whole life ahead of her,” Diako Aili, Amini’s cousin, told CNN.
Amini’s death in police custody has sparked a fierce public protest in Iran, which began at Amini’s funeral and spread across Iran’s 31 provinces, with demonstrators demanding the downfall of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Many of the protesters are women, who are often seen boldly removing their hijabs in defiance of the strict laws that were used to arrest Amini. In Iran, women are required to keep their hair covered in public, so some of the demonstrations have seen protesters burning their hijabs and publicly cutting their hair.
But this challenge has sparked a harsh response from Iranian security forces. Amnesty International has said that the government crackdown has left at least 52 people dead and hundreds more injured.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi calls the protests unacceptable chaos that needs to be quelled.
It also alleges that they are fueled by the self-interest of foreign countries like the United States.
But those who joined today’s global protests say they stand in solidarity not only with Iranian women, but with all those who have been deprived of their human rights.
“As the Iranian regime shuts down the internet in the country and kills protesters indiscriminately, the people of Iran have repeatedly called for the international community to be their voice and amplify their demands,” said Iranian-Canadians for Justice and Human Rights in a press release for the Toronto March. “This event is intended to echo his voice loudly.”
“It’s not just about the hijab, it’s about the body: they want to control and oppress all women, control the country,” said activist Azin Rezaeian. at a rally in Ottawa earlier this week.
As for today’s global protests, it is estimated that people in more than 150 cities participated, a massive show of support for those fighting for freedom in Iran.
With archives from CNN, CTV News Toronto and CTV News Atlantic.