2 rallies held at city hall had differing views on military action in Iran
By Amir Said · CBC News
Persian music and loud cheers echoed through downtown Calgary at a Sunday afternoon city hall rally, where members of the city’s Iranian community gathered to call for the Islamic Republic regime to be overthrown. More than 2,000 people were there to celebrate the aftermath of Saturday’s attack on Iran, in which numerous leaders of the Islamic Republic — including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — were killed by American and Israeli airstrikes. “The moment that we heard about the death of the dictator Ali Khamenei, we were so happy,” said rallygoer Ali Ebr. “Yesterday, actually last night, we were outside, we were chanting, we were dancing and everybody is so happy.” Ebr’s friend Alireza Haji, a fellow Iranian, echoed that sentiment.
“People are very happy about it,” Haji said. “And they feel to share that joy with each other, dancing and mark that day.” Khamenei, who played a key role in the 1979 Iranian Revolution which saw the Islamic Republic take power, served as Iran’s supreme leader for 36 years before his assassination.
“The regime hasn’t fallen yet, but we think that it’s very close,” said Haji. Haji said he wants to see the Islamic Republic regime overthrown, but with no more civilian casualties. According to Iranian authorities, more than 200 people have died in the country since the U.S. and Israel launched their attacks Saturday. State media reported that an airstrike at an elementary girls’ school in the southern Iran city of Minab killed 165 people. “Basically, the safe transition between this regime and the next regime is important for us,” Haji said.
Source: cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary
