Farimehr Hakemzadeh is communicating with loved ones in Iran and refreshing news and social media feeds as often as possible for updates on the escalating war in the Middle East.
The Iranian-Canadian, who lives in Winnipeg, has gone through a range of emotions since the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes against Tehran’s repressive Islamic regime Saturday — from hope for change and peace, to fear for the safety of family and friends.
“It’s very obvious that there’s a lot of fear in all of our hearts for the people, for the innocent lives that are being affected,” she said Tuesday.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Internet blackouts in Iran have made it hard for Farimehr Hakemzadeh and other Iranians in Manitoba to stay in touch with family and friends.
“For nearly half a century the Iranian people have been living under this fear. They have been living under fear for executions, imprisonment and trauma (by Iran’s regime).”
Internet blackouts in Iran have made it hard for Hakemzadeh and other Iranians in Manitoba to stay in touch with family and friends.
“We hear from them every now and then. What can you say (to them)? It’s very frightening for them, what they’re going through,” she said.
Tehran-born Hakemzadeh left Iran in 2014, arriving in Winnipeg two years later. From afar, she said she is trying to be a voice for Iranians who are now facing uncertainty. The days-long war has expanded throughout the Middle East.
“Iranian people have tried peaceful protest for decades. They have marched, they have chanted and they have voted, and they have been met by bullets and they have been arrested.”
“From a very young age I knew, ‘I am going to leave Iran,’” she said. “Being a woman living in that country, I did not have the freedoms a normal woman would have. Freedoms such as having permission to make decisions for my life, being able to show my hair or being able to dance or sing.”
Members of the Iranian diaspora in Manitoba welcomed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an air strike Saturday, and efforts to topple a regime that rose to power in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Rights groups said thousands of protesters and bystanders were killed in an Iranian government crackdown on demonstrations in the weeks prior to the war.
“While it is hard to talk about war — because war is never desirable, no one really celebrates conflicts — it’s very important for us to understand pacifism loses its meaning especially when it is shielding a regime that is doing this to its people,” Hakemzadeh said.
“Iranian people have tried peaceful protest for decades. They have marched, they have chanted and they have voted, and they have been met by bullets and they have been arrested.”
Hakemzadeh is hoping for a regime change that brings freedoms and stability.
“This regime is not reformable. We have seen them promise reform or get into negotiations again and again, and fail to really do that,” she said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the attack was necessary to eliminate “imminent threats” and stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon. Israel considers Iran a threat to its existence.
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“The Jewish community stands proudly to support the people of Iran and our Iranian-Canadian neighbours and friends in Winnipeg,” said Gustavo Zentner, vice-president with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.
Gustavo Zentner, a Winnipeg-based vice-president with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, has spoken to friends in Israel who went into shelters during Iran’s retaliatory attacks.
“We are very concerned for the safety and security of people in Israel and our friends, Iranian-Canadians, who we are mindful have family in their homeland and family across Canada who are following and are very connected to what’s unfolding,” he said.
“The Jewish community stands proudly to support the people of Iran and our Iranian-Canadian neighbours and friends in Winnipeg.”
Iran’s regime remains a threat in that country and abroad, Zentner warned.
CIJA urged Canada’s government to continue to support the U.S.-Israeli military action, and to have a “clear stand” on Israel’s right to defend itself and protect its people.
Speaking at an unrelated event, Premier Wab Kinew advocated for peace while accusing Trump of taking an “inconsistent approach to democracy around the world.”
The pretext given publicly for the war doesn’t make sense, Kinew said.
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Premier Wab Kinew advocated for peace while accusing U.S. President Donald Trump of taking an “inconsistent approach to democracy around the world.”
“I want to respect the opinions that people have and stuff like that, but the pretext that we’ve been given for this war, if you want to fight for democracy and if you want to fight for human rights, what about Saudi Arabia?” he said. “Why aren’t we pushing for regime change there?”
Kinew said he hopes no Canadian is asked to participate in the war. He acknowledged the conflict is causing concern for Manitobans with family in the region.
The war’s impact on the “average person” in Manitoba is higher gasoline prices, Kinew said.
Polling firm Angus Reid Institute said 49 per cent of respondents opposed the U.S.-Israeli military action and 34 per cent were supportive in an online survey of 1,218 Canadian adults Sunday and Monday
Earlier this week, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police warned geopolitical tension can lead to hate-fuelled violence.
While there was no specific threat, CACP encouraged Canadians to remain vigilant.
Winnipeg police have been in contact with local community leaders, and officers have been present at several gatherings, which occurred without incident, spokesman Const. Claude Chancy said.
Demonstrations and other events have been held in Manitoba’s capital.
— With files from Carol Sanders
chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca
Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris.
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