Toronto anti-Iran war protest met with pro-Shah and regime change supporters
· Toronto Sun
A small group protesting the war in Iran near the United States Consulate in downtown Toronto on Saturday was met with pro-Shah demonstrators who support regime change in the country.
The afternoon rally appeared to be peaceful after Toronto Police set up barriers on the east side of University Ave., north of Queen St. W., to keep both groups apart, according to a livestream of the event .
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Police also said officers would be at the demonstration to ensure everyone’s safety.
Protest against Iran war
A group called Canadian Defenders For Human Rights organized the rally dubbed “No to Unjust War” for Saturday afternoon to protest the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran as well as mourn Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death.
They asked supporters to bring flags and pictures of “martyrs” killed on the first day of the military operation last weekend by American and Israeli forces. Those deaths included Khamenei, members of his family and other senior regime officials.
“The enemies will be brought to justice and humiliated by the will of God and determination of the Axis of Resistance & Free people,” the group wrote on social platform X .
The organization’s poster said the rally was endorsed by the Iranian Canadian Congress, Al-Quds Toronto, and Palestinian Youth Movement, all of whom are against the war.
During the counter-demonstration, flags representing Iran, the U.S. and Israel were carried by many who support regime change.
The jubilant protesters also carried signs reading “Long live Iran’s Shah” while other posters thanked U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for killing Khamenei.
Not war but ‘rescue mission’
“This is not a war, this is a rescue mission,” a large banner read. “Saving 90 million Iranians held hostage by Islamist brutal regime.”
A skeleton representing Iran’s Supreme Leader was dressed in a black garment and paraded among the crowd on a makeshift gurney.
At one point, pro-Shah supporters sang and danced to YMCA by The Village People, a favourite at Trump rallies.
Escalating conflict in Middle East
Toronto has become a focal point for large-scale demonstrations regarding the escalating conflict in the Middle East between Iran, the U.S., and Israel.
Several rallies have been held, including one in the north end of the city last month that saw an estimated 350,000 people in attendance to support regime change in Iran.
Regular demonstrations have occurred in other Canadian cities as well as around the world since Iran’s security forces violently cracked down on nationwide protests that was sparked by high inflation and tough economic conditions.
According to one estimate , more than 36,500 protesters were killed in early January.