‘I’m so proud of them’: Canadians with family ‘fighting for their lives’ in Iran

Iran is signaling that there could be fast trials and executions for detainees in the wake of protests against the regime.

Iranian flags waved over a crowd of thousands at Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square Sunday as chants of defiance against Iran’s government echoed through the skyscrapers, overpowering the sound of honking vehicles in nearby streets.

The faces in the crowd showed a range of emotions: a young woman with tears streaming down her face, an elderly man shouting aggressively, and a child holding up a picture of a deceased family member back home in Iran.

Only two weeks ago, people began protesting in Tehran over skyrocketing inflation and a collapsing currency, but when it quickly turned into a national reckoning against what many nations have called an authoritarian regime, the government launched a crackdown.

News spread like wildfire among the Iranian-Canadian community in Toronto that the death toll in Iran had climbed into the hundreds withing day, igniting Sunday’s protest and a willingness to send a loud message back home: we are with you.

Here are some of the people at the protest and their stories of family back home:

Sahar Ghassemi

Sahar Ghassemi said her last message from Iran came from her mother while there was still internet connectivity, discussing the protests.

“I have the last message from my mom saying that it is impressive,” she told CTV News at the rally Sunday. “That was the last message I heard from my mom. She said my brother and my father were out, and I haven’t (heard) anything after that.”

Ghassemi said she fears the worst after hearing reports of hundreds of deaths, with no way of knowing whether her loved ones are still alive due to the blackout.

“[I worry] that the connection will be [turned back] on and something [has] happened to them,” said Ghassemi through tears.

“It’s very difficult,” she added. “I’m proud of them. I’m so, so proud of them, because they know they have to fight to get their country back.”

She said she has been too afraid to visit her family because of her outspoken criticism of the Iranian government.

“The minute I get back home, God knows what will happen to me,” she said. “So I don’t want to risk anybody’s life.”

Nadia

Nadia, who didn’t want to give her last name out of fear of repercussions from the Iranian government, said she hasn’t been back to Iran since 2020 because she believes she’ll be detained or arrest because of her activism work in Canada.

“I’ve been [in Canada] for 32 years and every time that something has been happening, I have been participating because I care so much,” she told CTV News.

She fears that her loves ones are among the protestors killed -- after hearing horror stories from other Iranian-Canadians in Toronto.

“I was talking to my friend while I was coming there and she she’s crying like crazy because her brother was arrested and she doesn’t know if her brother is alive or not,” she said.

Solmaz

Solmaz, who moved to Canada from Iran ten years ago, approached CTV News while holding a photo showing body bags, one of the few images to emerge from the country in the past 24 hours amid the internet blackout.

“This is a photo of people who were killed protesting for their own rights,” she told CTV News. “And it’s not only for economical purposes, this was the (result of the) pressure people were having [on them] for years.”

She said she had been considering attending Sunday’s rally, but learned earlier in the day that a close friend’s family member had been killed -- and that gave her the extra motivation to attend the protest in Toronto.

“I’m worried about them,” she said. “I’m worried about that when I see these pictures. I’m worried about everyone, not just my family, my friends, everyone that I know in Iran, they are still living in Iran. And they are protesting on the streets and they’re fighting for their lives.”

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to protect the identity of two individuals who were featured in this story.