A demonstrator heckled Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland for the Trudeau Liberal’s lack of action on “the Islamic brutal regime in Iran.”
Global protests have erupted following the death of Mahsa Amini during her arrest by Iran’s “morality police.” The federal Conservatives have responded by calling on the Liberal government to list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity.
Amid the government’s lack of action, Freeland attended an Ottawa rally for Flight 752, which was shot down by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in January 2020, killing 176. But a protester quickly began heckling the Liberal minister.
“You are supporting the Islamic brutal regime in Iran,” the protester yelled.
“What we need is just not words; what we need is action now.”
In her remarks, Freeland said her government announced sanctions against a list of Iranians, including top military leaders. But, according to a CBC reporter on the ground, demonstrators said the actions are not enough, yelling “kick them out” and “IRGC murdered, call them terrorists” — the Tories’ position.
The rally comes amid protests in the Iranian capital Tehran and other major cities. Students refused to attend classes on Saturday — the first day of the semester, and instead marched across campus chanting “Women, life, freedom,” NBC News reports.
Women are also burning headscarves and furiously demanding reform in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the government has responded with a violent crackdown.
Iranian Canadians are rallying across the country, and federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and his deputy, Melissa Lantsman, have attended and spoken at events. Lantsman said the Conservatives support calls for regime change in Iran.
“Yes, and if you can’t be unequivocal about a brutal religious dictatorship who kills their own people, then I’m not sure what we’re all discussing here,” Lantsman said on CBC’s Power & Politics.
Poilievre is encouraging Canadians to sign his party’s petition to have the government list the IRGC as a terrorist entity.
“Call on this Liberal government to stop being weak and take action now,” Poilievre wrote on Twitter. “Sign our petition: http://conservative.ca/freeiran.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been noticeably absent from the rallies. While Poilievre spoke at a rally for Amini on Sunday, the prime minister went bungee jumping.
The Liberal government is routinely criticized for its progressive words, followed by a lack of action. For example, on the first-ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in 2021, Trudeau went surfing in Tofino after lecturing Canadians about recognizing the occasion.
“Do not tell me, or try to explain, that the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation is a day for Indigenous Canadians; it is a day for all Canadians,” he said ahead of his vacation.
His official schedule said he was attending private meetings in Ottawa, but Trudeau’s flight record revealed the prime minister’s holiday location.
