Celebrations rang throughout downtown Kelowna as hundreds gathered to usher in what they believe may be a new chapter for Iran after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
After months of protests around the world, the Islamic Republic of Iran is facing a crisis as American and Israeli air strikes continue to fall in Tehran and other Iranian cities.
On Saturday, Feb. 28, the official state media of the Islamic Republic confirmed its leader, Khamenei, was killed in an air strike targeting his compound in Tehran.
In retaliation, Iran has sent missile strikes targeting Israel, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, according to Al Jazeera.
As missile strikes continue to be traded in the Middle East, the Iranian diaspora thousands of kilometres away in the Okanagan are taking to the streets to celebrate.
“This is the first step to a better Iran. A first step to a happier Iran,” organizer of the gathering, Ray Taheri told a crowd of people representing the Iranian people, Israel and Canada on Sunday, March 1, in downtown Kelowna.
Taheri, along with others in the Okanagan, has been protesting against the Islamic Republic weekly in solidarity with the Iranian people since early January.
“Today is the first day of Spring, and we are happy that the longest, coldest, darkest winter in our nation is almost over,” Taheri told Black Press in an interview, referring to Khamenei’s death and the American-Israeli air strikes on the Islamic Republic.
Taheri remarked that he wished Khamenei had been arrested and put on trial, but also that he was happy to see the Supreme Leader gone, and that this is the closest the Iranian regime has ever been to being toppled.
He and the other protesters condemn the Islamic Republic’s brutality against its people, as over 7,100 people in the country have died since the start of the unrest in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists New Agency (HRANA).
Matthew Shariati, an Iranian immigrant who came to Canada three-and-a-half years ago, also expressed his joy at the news.
“I’m super thrilled. I feel today like our voice was eventually heard,” he said. “(Khamenei’s death) is a very big step, not only for Persian people, I think, but it’s a big difference for whoever in the world is seeking peace.
Shariati said his family is still living in Iran, mentioning he spoke with his sister, who participated in one of the local protests.
“I saw (my sister’s) eyes. Her eyes were burnt, she said there were many (tear gas deployed) in combination with the government coming out trying to scare people and interrupt their protest using violence or whatever tool that they could use,” he said, recounting his sister’s experience.
“I live(d) in a small town. Even though I lived in a small town, a few people got shot from my town by the government.”
He said his sister is also happy hearing Khamenei was killed.
“(My sister) was super happy. She was saying it is like a dream eventually came true,” he said.
Members of the Jewish community in the Okanagan also joined the celebrations.
Liam Hrncirik, a Jewish Canadian from Summerland, sported an Israeli flag around his body and a hat with the flag of pre-Islamic Republic Iran as he joined hands with many Iranian people.
“It’s been a long journey with these people under an oppressive regime. We’ve been brought up – the Jewish community – to support our Iranian brothers against tyranny and suppression, and we’ve been taught this by our great-grandparents. They passed this down to us, and it’s the responsibility of our youth of Canada and Jewish youth of Canada to be here for our Iranian brothers and sisters,” he said.
Relaying what he has heard from his contacts in Iran, Taheri said that he knows many Iranians who are appreciative of the Israeli-American military action.
He said if the Iranian government collapses, Iran will go into a transition period, possibly led by the Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Iranian Shah.
After, Tehari called for Iran to transition to a democracy.
“Democracy is something we have been fighting for for decades. In the ten years, there have been three or four major uprisings… those did not fail, but were the foundations of the ones happening today.”
As of Monday, March 2, missile attacks across the Middle East continue as the region becomes increasingly unstable. The Iranian Red Crescent says that 555 people have been killed in Iran so far.
