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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS
\nWinnipeg left-wing groups gather to support the current Iranian regime outside the US Consulate on Portage Avenue Sunday, March 1, 2026. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe reason that I came here (to Canada) was because there is no freedom in Iran. Human rights were suppressed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shojaei was among a few dozen people who gathered in the courtyard at 201 Portage Ave., a skyscraper at Main Street where the U.S. consulate is located, shortly after some 50 people attended Peace Alliance Winnipeg\u2019s hour-long protest in -15 C weather.<\/p>\n
Candice Bodnaruk, a member of Peace Alliance Winnipeg\u2019s executive, said the attacks on Iran were a violation of international law. She pointed to reports of children being killed in some strikes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are showing no sign of backing down,\u201d she said of the U.S. and Israel. \u201cEven though Iran was in (nuclear) negotiations with the U.S., they decided to pull this now. The concern is a regime change under the U.S. and Israel turning Iran into some kind of puppet of the West.\u201d<\/p>\n
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the bombardment was intended to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He urged Iranians to overthrow the country\u2019s clerical regime.<\/p>\n
Iran responded to the U.S.-Israeli strikes with ballistic missile and drone attacks against U.S. assets and allies. Three U.S. troops were killed, American officials said, without providing details about where the deaths occurred.<\/p>\n
Peace Alliance Winnipeg condemned Prime Minister Mark Carney\u2019s support for the strikes. The group believes there were hidden motives for the military action.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey want to go after Iran\u2019s oil. They want to control the people,\u201d Bodnaruk said. \u201c(Trump) is trying to stifle and destroy, or absorb states that also support Palestine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shojaei become emotional when she recounted the moment she learned Iran\u2019s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed, alongside other high-ranking officials, in Saturday\u2019s strikes.<\/p>\n
She was already concerned about the safety of loved ones in Iran, after thousands of people were killed in a recent government crackdown on widespread protests.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Shojaei struggled to communicate with family and friends in Iran over the weekend due to internet outages.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have any connection with them right now to know what\u2019s going on,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The gathering was a jubilant one, with Iranian diaspora members singing to music and displaying the Lion and Sun flag that was Iran\u2019s state flag until the 1979 Islamic Revolution that overthrew the monarchy. The flag is a symbol of anti-regime protest.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want our historic emblem back as our national flag,\u201d Shojaei said.<\/p>\n A similar scene played out at a demonstration in CF Polo Park\u2019s parking lot Saturday, where Iranian diaspora members, some with tears in their eyes, danced and displayed flags.<\/p>\n \u201cMy dream and my hope is that this regime finally can be gone from our country and the people can get over to the government and rule themselves, and then we, all from the diaspora, can go back and live peacefully,\u201d said Iranian-born Shervin Shahidian, who lives in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n Zhaleh Parsaei, who moved to Canada permanently in 2015, after spending 30 years in Iran, said she fears for the safety of her family, but she hopes the people of Iran heed Trump\u2019s call and overthrow the regime.<\/p>\n She said she does not see the military attack as an act of war, but rather one of liberation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are grateful for leaders like President Trump. I know many people maybe don\u2019t like him, but he\u2019s the only leader who stands with Iranian people, and he knows that this regime is not just a threat for Iranian people, but a threat for the whole world,\u201d Parsaei said.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t In a statement, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police said there was no indication of any imminent threat to Canadians, based on current intelligence.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t The organization encouraged Canadians to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity that is \u201cgrounded in observable behaviours,\u201d such as unattended packages in sensitive or unusual locations, or people attempting to access restricted areas without authorization.<\/p>\n \u201cExperience shows that periods of geopolitical tension can sometimes inspire extremist networks, hate-motivated individuals or proxy-related threat actors to exploit these situations to incite hate-fuelled violence,\u201d the association said in a news release.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile there is no specific threat at this time, awareness and early reporting are essential components of prevention.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 with files from Tyler Searle<\/p>\n chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Chris Kitching 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Chris produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS
\nPeace Alliance Winnipeg condemned the joint strikes, with supporters holding signs reading \u201cNo war on Iran\u201d and \u201cCeasefire.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS
\nPeople sing and dance to support the Iranian people and the US\/Israel action against Iran.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reporter
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