Toronto's Massive Peaceful Protest Against Iran Regime Contrasts with Recent Unrest
An estimated 150,000 demonstrators gathered in downtown Toronto on Sunday, creating one of the largest peaceful protests the city has ever witnessed. The massive crowd assembled at Sankofa Square to call for American military strikes against Iran's Islamic regime and to demand regime change in Tehran.
Peaceful Demonstration with Clear Demands
The protest remained peaceful throughout, presenting a stark contrast to recent demonstrations that have turned chaotic in other contexts. Participants filled the downtown core with Iranian nationalist flags bearing the traditional "lion and sun" emblem from the pre-revolutionary era. Hundreds of portraits of Iran's exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, were prominently displayed throughout the gathering.
Chants of "King Reza Pahlavi!" echoed through the square as demonstrators expressed support for the prince to lead a transitional government that would shepherd Iran toward democracy. The protest echoed previous diaspora rallies and reflected the apparent desires of many protesters living within Iran itself.
Remembering the Fallen
Many attendees carried photographs of pro-democracy protesters who had been killed during the regime's brutal crackdown last month. Among the faces memorialized were those of toddlers and children who had perished in the violence. Protesters held signs declaring their intention to "Make Iran Great Again" and beseeched U.S. President Donald Trump to follow through on his promise to bomb the regime in retaliation for its crimes.
With both desperation and fury, the crowd repeatedly chanted, "Trump act now! Trump act now!" The emotional intensity reflected the deep personal connections many Iranian-Canadians maintain with events in their homeland.
Disputed Death Toll and Calls for Action
While the Iranian regime claims to have killed only 3,117 people during its crackdown, independent organizations present a much grimmer picture. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has confirmed over 6,000 deaths so far, with many more cases still under review. Other groups, citing medical professionals working within Iran, have placed the death toll in the tens of thousands.
One woman in red, carrying a placard memorializing several deceased protesters, explained her support for foreign military intervention using a powerful analogy. "Imagine that a rapist, a killer, a murderer comes to your home and you have no weapon and they're terrorizing and killing your family members," she said. "And then you call 911, and 911 says, 'you know what, you don't need help, you can deal with it yourself.' We cannot deal with this ourselves. We need the world to help."
Frustration with Selective Activism
Another young woman named Parisa carried a Farsi sign with a profane message directed at the Islamic Republic. "We're here to say: 'F--k you, Islamic Republic! You will go down. This is the end of you. You will be finished,'" she explained, adding that she and her friends had come to speak up for the "voiceless" people of Iran.
Although Parisa identified as a leftist, she expressed frustration with what she called the "selective activism" of western progressives. She believes that by failing to speak up for Iran's butchered protesters, these activists have demonstrated that they do not genuinely care about human rights.
Concerns About Iranian Agents in Canada
Several Iranian-Canadian protesters expressed concerns about allegations that hundreds of agents of the Islamic regime currently reside in Canada. Sadie Aliza, one of the demonstrators, questioned why these individuals were seeking asylum in Canada and called on the federal government to "take this issue seriously."
The massive turnout and peaceful nature of Sunday's protest demonstrated the strong feelings within Canada's Iranian diaspora community and their determination to see change in their homeland. The event highlighted both the depth of opposition to Iran's current regime and the organized, disciplined approach taken by protesters in expressing their demands for international intervention and regime change.
