K-W for Iran calls for action during Flight PS752 anniversary

Calls for justice for Flight PS752 victims From CTV Kitchener's Hannah Schmidt: Rallies across Canada are calling for action and demanding justice for victims of Flight PS752.

Organizers from the group 'K-W for Iran' are joining many others across Canada calling for action on the anniversary of the Flight PS752 tragedy.

Rallies were held all across the country Sunday to mark three years since the Ukrainian passenger plane was downed by Iranian surface to air missiles, killing 176 people, including 85 Canadians.

No demonstrations were planned in Waterloo region, but K-W for Iran organizers, who have held recent anti-regime demonstrations in the area, travelled to Toronto to join a rally urging Ottawa to take a tougher stand against Iran.

"We need Canada to stand united with us to help dismantle this government," said demonstrator Pooneh Bolourchi. "They are killing innocent people and we're really scared that more lives are going to be victimized because the actions are taking so long."

The Ukraine International Airlines jetliner was bound for Canada when it was shot down by Iranian paramilitary in 2020.

Sunday's event in north Toronto began at 11 a.m. where an official ceremony was hosted by the Association of Families of Flight PS752.

This was followed by a private afternoon ceremony where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made remarks before a candlelight vigil at Mel Lastman Square.

"I join people across Canada to honour the people we have lost to these tragedies and mourn alongside those they left behind," a statement from the prime minister reads in part. "We are taking concrete action to ensure Iran is held accountable for its egregious and unlawful downing of flight PS752."

Since the attack, many of the victims' families have called on the Canadian government to designate Iran's Islamic revolutionary guard as a terrorist organization. This has already been done by the U.S. and U.K. and is being considered by the European Union.

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO CONTINUES TO MOURN

According to a statement sent to CTV News, the university acknowledges the pain felt by family and friends of all 176 passengers, and continues to feel this loss.

“All of us at Waterloo continue to work, learn and teach in their honour and to carry on their legacy, as we will not forget these remarkable individuals,” a spokesperson said to CTV News.

The university created the Mari Foroutan Memorial Graduate Scholarship and the Iranian Student Memorial Engineering Fund to honour the victims.

“The goal is to create a legacy of support for generations of students to come. The University committed to matching donations up to a total of $100,000.”