North York demonstrators call on Canadian government to recognize crown prince as leader of Iran

A major rally in North York Saturday is calling on the Canadian government to recognize Iran's exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi as the leader of Iran’s democratic transition after anti-government protests erupted in Iran at the end of last year.

Co-organizer Aveen Ghahremani said the focus of the demonstration Saturday is to make non-Iranians aware of the revolution and get them involved.

"We're all here because of a lot of luck," she said. "Some people in Iran are not as lucky."

The message diaspora protesters hope to convey is that they stand behind those back in Iran, Ghahremani said.

"As Canadian Iranians, we see the difference in our lives in Iran as opposed to what it is here with the freedoms we have and the opportunities we have," she told CBC Toronto. "I don't think we should take that for granted."

People marched down Yonge Street to the beat of drums and chants of "King Reza Pahlavi.” Protesters held aloft and draped themselves in red, white and green flags emblazoned with a golden lion — the flag Iran used before the Islamic Republic came to power in 1979, toppling the previous monarchy.

Demonstrators called for an end to government repression in Iran as widespread protests inside the country have been met with violent crackdowns.

In a letter obtained by CBC Toronto, demonstration organizers urged the Government of Canada to take a "timely" and "constructive" step in Iran's "ongoing national crisis."

"For over four decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran has ruled through systemic repression, widespread human rights violations, political violence, and the denial of fundamental freedoms," it said. "Its political, moral, and legal legitimacy has been irreversibly eroded, and that is a reality evident both inside Iran and across the international community."

CBC Toronto reached out to Global Affairs Canada for comment.

Toronto police estimated more than 200,000 people would gather at the solidarity rally, which is marching down Yonge Street Saturday. Police closed roads, including portions of Yonge Street and North York Boulevard, ahead of the protest, which they say will cause extreme traffic and transit delays.

"If you don't need to be in that area today, if you're not part of the event or if there's no real other purpose for you to be there, just to avoid that area," Toronto police spokesperson Viktor Sarudi told CBC Toronto Saturday, adding attendees shouldn't plan to park near the area.

Sarudi said Toronto police is partnering with the York Regional Police Service to ensure those at the rally are safe. He added the estimate of 200,000 people came in part from discussions with organizers.

"And it's due to the trends from other turnouts at these types of solidarity rallies, the online momentum that this is gaining and the scale of similar events across other cities in North America and across the world," he said.