In a world beset by turmoil, hundreds manage to rally, among a sea of countless thousands, to support a people in revolt thousands of kilometres away.
About 350 protesters, largely from the Iranian diaspora, rallied at Centennial Square in Victoria and marched all the way to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, denouncing the brutal murder of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the Iranian morality police and demanding the fall of the Islamic regime.
Out of concern for the safety of those who may face retaliation in Iran for expressing their stance here, I have made an effort not to show the marchers’ faces on the material posted here. In any case, I have a policy of honouring any reasonable takedown request without question; if you’re recognisable on any picture or video posted on this site and wish not to be, that’s good enough for me.
As for the previous Freedom for Iran rally, there were no need for speeches; chanting “Woman, Life, Freedom!” and “Death to the dictator!” was explicit enough. In this respect, they joined countless thousands of protesters across the world marching in solidarity with the Iranian people whose resolve has yet to be broken by the regime’s brutal repression.
Of significance was the support offered to the Ukrainian people as well, who are not only besieged by the Russian invader but also relentlessly beset by Iranian drones. It should come as no surprise that evil regimes sleep together out of spite, of course, and the marchers related with the Ukrainian’s own struggle in an almost apologetic fashion.
Recent events have shown that we’re all in this together worldwide. Human rights concern everyone, irrespective of nationality, and all causes inevitably overlap. The era of globalisation has also globalised protests and activism, rallying peoples under interwoven banners. Evil regimes like the Islamic Republic of Iran keep playing by cold war rules when information could still be suppressed and the message controlled with propaganda, and just like Russia and China, Iran discovers too late that governments nowadays can no longer keep a tight lid on the Internet. Information wants to be free, and so do people.
More Freedom for Iran rally coverage:
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Never take your rights for granted. Women in particular know even hard-earned ones are never far from being taken away.
Although the event was a relative success, its outcome leaves me most apprehensive. Regretfully, we had to end it early.
