Photo credit: CBC
A large crowd of demonstrators shut down a swath of the downtown core Sunday in solidarity with protesters in Iran, who are fighting against the country’s financial collapse and the regime that led to it.
CBC reports that nationwide protests in Iran started December 28 in response to soaring prices. It then turned into wider anti-government protests against clerical rulers who have governed the country for nearly 50 years.
At the same time, tens of thousands of pro-government demonstrators have taken to the streets, in a show of power, in response to protesters challenging the country’s theocracy.
Pooria Shafia, a Toronto-based engineer who attended Sunday’s protest, says he’s concerned about his relatives that still live in Iran.
The protest in Toronto, which made its way from Sankofa Square to Queen’s Park, advocated in part for democratic elections in Iran.
Demonstrators also said they would like to see actions from the Canadian government, including putting in place measures that weaken the regime, deporting Islamic Republic officials in Canada and ensuring negotiations don’t take place between the theocracy and United Nations members.
