Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Kelowna on Saturday, Feb. 14 to show solidary with Iranians during times of turmoil.
In early January, UBC Okanagan professor Ray Taheri organized the first peaceful protest after acts of extreme violence against Iranian citizens took place. Since then, the group has organized a protest at Kerry Park every Sunday.
However, the group got together on Saturday, Feb. 14 for ‘The Day of Action,’ as similar protests took place across the world.
“This is to show our solidarities for the revolutions happening in Iran, just to support those who lost their life for freedom,” said Taheri at Saturday’s protest.
“We are here in solidarity with the people of Iran answering the call supported by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi for a peaceful democratic transition,” added protester Mehrsa Maali.
According to Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA), as of Feb. 13, more than 7,000 deaths have been confirmed, including protesters, non-participating civilians, Iranian military and law enforcement, a prosecutor, and children. In total, 676 protest-related incidents have been documented across 210 cities in 31 provinces.
Protests in Iran have been going on for 49 days as of Feb. 14 and in total, nearly 26,000 have also been injured.
However, it is believed both death and injury numbers are higher, as Taheri suggested on Saturday.
“It’s Valentine’s Day also, but the sad part is that there are over 40,000 people in Iran, they did not have a chance to see this Valentine’s,” said Taheri. “Lots of young people with lots of hope, goals, dreams and their life was perished. But on the other side, they gave their life for a more sacred love.”
With protests in support of Iran happening across the world on Feb. 14, Taheri added it’s believed more than 200,000 protested in Toronto while more than 260,000 people did so in Munich, Germany.
The current regime in Iran has been in power for 47 years. At the first protest in Kelowna on Jan. 11, Taheri said the regime “brought one of the most resourceful countries on the face of the earth to absolute poverty, adding it has also violated many human rights.
Taheri, who moved to Canada from Iran years ago, said he hasn’t heard much from friends, family or relatives because of the protests in Iran, saying there was “two weeks of darkness” where the regime shut down phones and the internet.
On Saturday, like the past five Sundays, protesters in Kelowna were chanting and making their point heard – for freedom, democracy, security, a better social living for Iranians.
Taheri and Maali called on the Canadian government to “take a clear and principled stand.”
“Words are not enough,” said Maali. “Moral leadership requires action.”
“One of the reasons that we want the world to know about us is that many countries and many politicians have been so lenient towards this atrocious regime,” added Taheri. “But we need more action, including closing the embassies of this regime because they are not representative of Iranian people.”
Back on June 19, 2024, the Canadian government listed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code, which Taheri said on Saturday was a good step forward.
“[The people of Iran], their destiny is in the hands of this monstrous regime,” said Taheri. “But this is not going to be the end of the revolution. The revolution will continue. It doesn’t matter how many people they kill. It makes us inside and outside more determined to move forward.”
“There is no way to go back, we owe this to those who lost their lives for the country,” he continued.
“Time is of the essence and people are getting killed there,” said Taheri. “In each minute, there are lots of executions happening. They are attacking residential areas, houses, and shooting people.”