More than 200 Iranians and their supporters rallied in downtown Halifax to call out the Iranian government for killing protesters.
They also want to draw attention to the issue, hoping Western countries will help, according to one protester named Vida.
She is here in Halifax with her children and her sister, but the rest of her family is in Iran, and she cannot reach because the government has shut off the internet. She said they don’t have any way to communicate. Even the landlines do not work.
“We are their voice because they are now silent,” said Vida, standing among the group of rally-goers outside Halifax City Hall.
The Iran flag, pictured here with a lion and sun at the centre. This type of flag was used before the 1979 Islamic revolution, according to Iran International. Afterwards, the government removed the symbol and replaced it with the current one, representing the Islamic Republic of Iran. (Jacob Moore/Acadia Broadcasting)
But she said there are some Starlink satellites, and that helped her family call her very briefly.
“A very short phone call that, ‘We are all right, and we miss you.’ Nothing more. And I have to wait if they call again or not.”
“We are very worried. We are very angry about what is going on in Iran, because in 2026, having internet, having to express your opinion, is a very simple right. It’s a first human right, the freedom of speech. We don’t have it.”
According to the BBC, the protests began in late December over the economy, and since then, the government has admitted to killing thousands of protestors.
The BBC cites different death totals in an article published Saturday. They say the Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency, a U.S. group, estimates the death tole at 3,090, while the news outlet says other groups estimate a much higher total.
Vida says they have killed 12,000.
What videos and photos have come out of Iran are very disturbing, she said. The BBC also says it is very difficult to get clear information because of the communication blackout.
“They even kidnapped the wounded from the hospital. There are piles of bodies. The people have to go and search for their loved ones in the bodies. They don’t know where [they are].”
More than 200 gathered outside of Halifax City Hall on Jan. 17 to raise awareness about the Iranian government killing protesters and to call on Western countries for help. (Jacob Moore/Acadia Broadcasting)
The protestors were chanting, calling on the United States and other Western countries to take action. She says the protesters are unarmed, yet facing soldiers with guns. She says they want Iran to be free from this government, the suppression of women’s rights, where they are forced to wear a hijab. They also can’t voice their political views without going to jail, she says.
Vida said she wants more than just negotiations and sanctions.
“Take real action. Deport all the politicians from Canada, from Europe, everywhere.”
“It’s very, very difficult inside Iran, and the economy has collapsed. So we are raising their voice outside of Iran. Maybe we can help a little bit for them.”
