With the war in the Middle East now in its 10th day, more than 10,000 kilometres away on the University of Victoria’s campus a rally was held, with demonstrators speaking up against the Iranian regime. The rally took place at the university’s Persian Student Association. “Iranians want regime change in Iran, Iranians do not want the Islamic Republic anymore,” said Arhsia Radaei, co-president of the University of Victoria’s Persian Student Association. The message here was direct, with demonstrators saying the current Iranian government is a cruel authoritarian regime that will do anything to stay in power, including murdering its own people. “My close friend got shot on Jan. 8 for seeking freedom,” said Radaei. The co-president of the association says he was one of an estimated 30,000 people who was gunned down by the regime when widespread protest broke out in Tehran, calling for a transition to a new system of government. On Jan. 28, U.S. and Israeli forces attacked Iran—killing that country’s supreme leader. It’s a government that has been in power for the past 47 years. “Military intervention has been supported by most of our community I would say,” said Radaei. Including those attending the rally at UVIC. Now, Iran’s supreme leader has been replaced by his son. “They are moving the leader from Khameini to his son which is not really acceptable,” said Bahar Taheri, with the UVIC Persian Student Association. The fear is that the new leader will be worse for the Iranian people than his father was. The call at the rally was for Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s exiled king, to be installed as Iran’s new leader. “To save Iran, to save Iranians from the Islamic Republic,” said Taheri. Sirous Zandi was born in Iran. When he was just nine years old, the Islamic Republic came to power. In 1988, Zandi says he was attacked by members of the regime and left for dead after speaking out against Iran’s war with Iraq. “They attacked me by knife to diminish me, only for saying my idea,” said Zandi showing off the scars on his arm and back. In 2015, he says he fled to Canada in order to create a better life for him and his family. “Bottom line is people do not want the Islamic Republic and there is no legitimacy whatsoever to the new leadership in power,” said Arhsia. The University’s Persian Student Association says today was about informing students on campus about the atrocities that have taken place in Iran under the country’s current regime. Organizers of the rally say they are hopeful that change could come in their homelands as a result of the war.
