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Iranian-Canadians gathering at a Richmond Hill, Ont., rally Saturday say they’re overjoyed by the U.S. and Israeli intervention in Iran.
Sephr Biglar Khani, who was at the demonstration, said this moment is the silver lining of what’s been going on back home.
“The energy you see out here is because we’re happy. We’ve been wanting this to happen,” he said Saturday. “This is not an attack on the people. This is not an attack on the country. This is a rescue mission for the people.”
In a statement to CBC Toronto, York Regional Police said it estimated there were approximately 40,000 to 45,000 people at the Richmond Hill rally.
In a post to social media, York police warned of traffic congestion and possible disruptions. All lanes have since reopened and York police said no incidents were reported.
The U.S. and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, and President Donald Trump called on the Iranian public to “seize control of your destiny” by rising up against the Islamic leadership that has ruled the nation since 1979. Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones toward Israel and U.S. military bases in the region.
So far, more than 200 people are believed to have been killed across Iran by U.S.-Israel strikes, according to Iranian state media, which is citing the Iranian Red Crescent Society.
In a statement to CBC Toronto, York Regional Police said it estimated there were approximately 40,000 to 45,000 people at the Richmond Hill rally. (Brice Petitfils/CBC)
Iran has been gripped by countrywide protests since late December, sparked by an ongoing economic crisis that has sent the country’s currency into freefall. While protesters were initially focused on Iran’s economy, demonstrators pivoted to calling for an end to Iran’s Islamic Republic, with some supporting the return of the ousted monarchy to power.
Iran’s government, which has cracked down on protests and implemented an internet blackout, said more than 3,000 people have been killed since protests broke out.
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.
Biglar Khani said this is “a step in the right direction.”
“Some people might come out and say this is a war. We shouldn’t have this. But a war was already being fought,” he said.
Salman Sima, who was a political prisoner in 2009 before moving to Toronto in 2011 as a refugee, believes Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi is a “unifying figure” for the people and the nation who want a “peaceful transition.”
The U.S. and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, and President Donald Trump called on the Iranian public to “seize control of your destiny” by rising up against the Islamic leadership that has ruled the nation since 1979. (Brice Petitfils/CBC)
That’s the opposite of what the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps wants, says Kati Asgari.
“They have shown multiple times that they are not after any kind of peace in the region and they have been chanting death to America, death to Israel from the very beginning,” she said.
Parsa Sany told CBC News he believes the U.S. and Israeli interception is a “freedom mission.”
“This is by far one of the happiest days ever,” he said. “We have a democratic future ahead of us. And we are very, very excited for this.”
Ida Zarabi, a registered psychotherapist in Ontario, said the Iranian people have been going through a rollercoaster of emotions. Until today.
“There’s a sense of victory today and there’s so much joy,” she told CBC News Saturday. “Freedom feels so near.”
Zarabi said she is amazed by the relentlessness, resilience and support the Iranian people have shown to each other.
“We will be showing our support until the end, until we can be speaking with one another in Iran because it’s such a beautiful country, the culture, everything about it,” she said.
In a post to social media, York police warned of traffic congestion and possible disruptions. All lanes have since reopened and York police said no incidents were reported. (Naama Weingarten/CBC)
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada supports at least one component of the American mission: destroying Iran’s nuclear program.
“Canada supports the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from threatening international peace and security,” Carney said in a speech at the Canada-India Growth and Investment Forum in Mumbai on Saturday.
“Canada’s position remains clear: The Islamic Republic of Iran is the principal source of instability and terror throughout the Middle East, has one of the world’s worst human rights records and must never be allowed to obtain or develop nuclear weapons.”
After his speech, Carney said Canada is not participating militarily and that the federal government was “not party to the military buildup or planning.”
In a post to social media, Air Canada said it has cancelled flights from Canada to Israel until March 8 and to Dubai until March 3 due to the “military situation in the Middle East.”
“We are monitoring the situation and will adjust our schedule accordingly,” the airline said.