Hundreds of Iranian Montrealers took to the streets Saturday after news of U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran, saying the action could help bring about regime change. Many described the past few months as unbearable, following a mass uprising in Iran. A government crackdown led to tens of thousands of deaths and a communications blackout. “It’s military assistance and our people are very much asking for it. And I would see it as a very positive news to getting rid of the regime that’s been occupying our land for far too long,” said Iranian Canadian Darius Lagarki. Another Iranian Canadian, Masoumeh Sajedi, said she has heard from family back home that everyone is safe. “They wanted this to happen for a long time and now it’s happening,” she said, adding that she hopes it leads to regime change. Reza Aetahian said he visited Iran in January. “My family, we don’t have internet for three weeks. We couldn’t even talk. I couldn’t even talk to my friends here. So they thought I was dead.” Like many, he also welcomed the strikes by American and Israeli forces. “They have the power to do something for us. And right now, we’re happy about that. We don’t support a specific person. We don’t support a specific government. We just support anything that could help us achieve the dream that we have been dreaming 47 years. A free Iran,” Aetahian said. Sajedi said Iranians are familiar with war, noting that she was pulled from rubble during an Iraqi strike when she was seven months old. “My people in Iran, they know what is war, it’s not that they’re blind, but they wanted this to happen, and we’re hoping it’s not going to last long,” she said.
