Thousands rally in Montreal to cheer blows on Iran's leadership after U.S–Israel strikes
They gathered in their thousands, hopeful of a freer, more prosperous future for Iran.
After the U.S. and Israeli strikes rocked Tehran early Saturday morning — and Tehran answering with missile strikes of its own — members of Montreal’s large Iranian diaspora stood alongside other supporters in downtown Montreal, dancing, embracing and chanting for the end of the Islamic Republic that has ruled since 1979.
The march stretched several hundred metres through the city’s core. Some waved Iran’s pre-revolutionary flag, the lion and sun emblem long associated with opposition to the regime. Others carried Canadian, Quebec and U.S. flags, along with handmade posters of Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah and a prominent opposition figure abroad.
One woman, an Iranian artist who fled the country two decades ago and spoke confidentially to The Gazette, said she is hopeful of change.
“It’s a criminal regime which has been there since 1979,” she said. “They are not a government for the people of Iran or for the interests of the people of Iran. They have killed people who wanted freedom.”
What would regime change mean in practice? “It means freedom,” she said. “It means prosperity.”
Earlier in January, thousands had marched after unrest inside Iran, ignited in late December by anger among Tehran shopkeepers over the collapsing currency, fanning into nationwide protests and open calls to end the theocracy.
The U.S. and Iran have since been locked in negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program, with Washington seeking to curb Iran’s ability to acquire a nuclear weapon.
But those talks were overtaken Saturday when U.S. and Israeli forces struck what officials described as Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure. More than 200 people across Iran were killed, according to the Red Crescent.
In a post on social media, President Donald Trump said Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed in the operation, though Iranian officials have so far denied this.
“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead,” Trump wrote. “This is not only justice for the people of Iran, but for all great Americans, and those people from many countries throughout the world, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty thugs.
“This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country,” he wrote, adding some members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, military and police were “looking for immunity from us.”
It is the second time in less than a year the U.S. military has struck inside Iran. Last June, U.S. forces bombed three nuclear facilities. U.S. officials said this latest operation was expected to be far more extensive.
Iran responded Saturday with missile strikes on Israel and attacks across the Gulf, including in Dubai, Bahrain and Doha. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which is a crucial artery for global oil supplies, was disrupted.
At least four people were injured at a luxury hotel in Dubai, and a civilian was killed by falling debris in Abu Dhabi after a strike involving Iranian ballistic missiles.
In Mumbai, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney signalled support for Washington’s objective of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, while stressing Canada was not participating militarily and had not been party to the planning.
“Iran is the principal source of instability and terror throughout the Middle East,” Carney said.
Yves-François Blanchet, leader of the Bloc Québécois, acknowledged in a post on X what he called the “persistent threat” posed by Iran’s regime and Israel’s right to security, but expressed concern over the use of force without prior backing from the U.S. Congress and allied governments.
“International law must prevail,” he said, adding negotiation and sanctions remain the preferred paths.
Elsewhere in Montreal on Saturday, the Palestinian Youth Movement, which has been one of the most visible pro-Palestinian organizations in the city over the past two years, held a smaller rally outside the Israeli consulate.
“NO WAR ON IRAN,” the group wrote on Instagram, urging supporters to gather at 3 p.m. The group denounced what it described as a declaration of war by Washington and Israel against Tehran.
The United Nations Security Council was convening an emergency meeting Saturday.
Write to Harry at hnorth@postmedia.com
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