Canada ‘encouraged’ by Iran protests, supports freedom of expression

The Canadian government on Saturday voiced support for anti-government protests in Iran which have now entered their fourth day.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The Canadian government on Saturday voiced support for anti-government protests in Iran which have now entered their fourth day.

“Canada is encouraged by the Iranian people who are exercising their basic right to protest peacefully,” Global Affairs Canada said in an official statement on the government’s website.

“Canada will continue to support the fundamental rights of Iranians including the right to freedom of expression,” the statement added, while also calling on authorities in Iran to honor “democratic and human rights.”

The demonstrations, which began on Thursday, started as protests against soaring prices before quickly turning political as widespread corruption, as well as Iran’s costly interventions in Syria and Iraq, further incited public anger.

On Friday, the protests spread to Kermanshah, in the Kurdish west and included rallies in Tehran, as well as Qom, the Shia theological center that played a crucial role in the 1979 Iranian revolution.

Videos shared on social media show Iranians chanting slogans opposing President Hassan Rouhani and the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

On Saturday, protests carried into the third day as demonstrators in the city of Abhar in the Zanjan Province, western Tehran, tore down a poster of Khamenei despite warnings from the Iranian government against citizens holding what it labeled “illegal public gatherings.”

Meanwhile, Iranian-Canadians in Toronto gathered in support of the protests in Iran against the country’s government and failing economy.

Iranian-Canadians protested at Mel Lastman Square in Toronto, Canada, in support of widespread protests in Iran, Dec. 30, 2017. (Photo: Social Media)
Iranian-Canadians protested at Mel Lastman Square in Toronto, Canada, in support of widespread protests in Iran, Dec. 30, 2017. (Photo: Social Media)

United States President Donald Trump also responded to the ongoing demonstrations, warning Iran that “the world is watching.”

The US leader has often voiced his disapproval of the Iranian government, labeling it a “fanatical regime.”