Hundreds march through Ottawa to demonstrate against Iran

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Hundreds of protesters, some with blood red hands raised, marched through downtown Ottawa on Saturday, chanting Mahsa Amini’s name and calling for an end to violence in Iran.

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The death of Amini, 22, who was severely beaten and died while in the custody of Iranian vice police in September, has sparked violent protests and crackdowns across Iran and other protests in the world. Amini had been arrested for allegedly wearing a hijab inappropriately. Hundreds of people have died, including children, since the uprising began in Iran.

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“They are so brave. We want to be their voice. They are not alone,” said protester Nasim Rochon, from Iran.

About 600 people, some of whom carried signs saying « Woman Life Freedom, » « Stop the Murders » and « One Solution Revolution, » took part in Saturday’s protest, the second in Ottawa since Amini’s death.

Among them was Carleton MP Goldie Ghamari, who left Iran with her family when she was one year old. Ghamari said his family fled after an assassination attempt on his father and because « my father wanted to raise his daughters in a free and democratic country ».

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Ghamari, who still has extended family members in Iran, said recent events were “very emotional because what happened to Mahsa could have happened to any of us.

“The Iranian regime has terrorized and brutalized its own people for 43 years and it is a state sponsor of terrorism. Every time they do this it affects us all. (Amini) could have been any of us.

Ghamari said she felt morally responsible to use her platform “as a voice for them and to share that message with the world. I’m not saying that as a politician.

She said the uprising that was sparked by young Iranian women outraged by Amini’s death by burning and removing their hijabs – which are compulsory under the Iranian regime – is different from previous protests and uprisings against the regime.

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“There have been many uprisings in the past, and each time the Iranian regime brutally suppressed them,” Ghamari said. “This time there is a difference. First, it is run by women and we are all united in our desire for a free democratic society.

Protesters in Ottawa on Saturday carried a banner with red handprints and the names of those killed in the uprising. The red handprints were a show of solidarity with Iranian students and others who painted their hands red and put red handprints on the walls below pictures of Iran’s supreme leader.

Others in the crowd also said the protests and response around the world were different this time around. Samantha Adeli, who was there with her parents, praised the women who led the protests in Iran.

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« It’s amazing to see their courage and bravery, and they really put their lives and their safety on the line for a better country and to pave the way for a better future for the women around them, » Adell said.

Adeli, whose father is from Iran, said she and others felt grief, sadness, frustration and anger, « but there is also a collective sense of hope that things will change for the better. »

On Saturday, reports emerged of a major fire and gunfire at a notorious Iranian prison holding political prisoners and anti-government activists.