Thousands gather in Downtown Vancouver to protest Iranian government on Saturday
Posted October 1, 2022 3:23 pm.
Last Updated October 1, 2022 4:24 pm.
Thousands of people are taking to the streets once again in Downtown Vancouver to protest the Iranian government.
Saturday’s demonstration outside the Vancouver Art Gallery was one among countless protests held across the world in the last two weeks.
The ongoing protests started after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in police custody for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly.
Iranians have been demanding more freedom for women, and calling for an end to the hardline Islamic regime that runs the country.
October 1, 2022, Downtown Vancouver protest against Iranian government. (Angela Bower/CityNews)
Vancouver activist Tamineh Sadseghi said she’s furious about how many people have been killed during protests in Iran.
“So many young people have lost their lives and been shot,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking. But people are fighting back. This regime has to go, they should be ashamed of themselves.”
Human rights groups have reported at least 83 people have died in the protests so far.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has called Amini’s death “tragic,” and said her death saddened the nation.
However, Raisi says that the government’s “red line” is protecting the security of Iranians, and condemned the “chaos” of the recent protests.
-With files from Angela Bower
