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Iranwire – Milad Mohammadi was holding a round-the-clock sit-in in Toronto this week to protest the killing of his brother and hundreds of other protesters in the state crackdown on the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising, when two Iranian-Canadians assaulted journalists.
One of the reporters, Payman Khajeh Hasani, has vowed to file a complaint against the assailants.
Mohammadi believes that they are agents of the Islamic Republic tasked with sowing discord among the opponents of the clerical establishment.
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Milad Mohammadi was hit by pellets fired by security forces during the nationwide protests in 2022, while his brother Shahriar was shot and killed in Bukan, West Azerbaijan province.
He launched a weeklong sit-in at a prominent location in Toronto on September 22, with a placard displaying photos of protesters killed.
His objective is to protest the Islamic Republic authorities’ bloody clampdown on dissent and the January 23 execution of a young protester, Mohammad Ghobadlou.
“I asked [my friends] to create a placard using pictures of individuals who lost their lives in the protests, as I felt a deep need to protest but also a sense of despair, feeling that I had no suitable platform,” he says.
On the second day of his sit-in, he encountered conflict with two Iranian-Canadian citizens who were displeased by the presence of reporters.
Peyman Khajeh Hasani, a freelance reporter and cameraman who was covering Mohammadi’s protest action for the BBC Persian service section, recounts the incident:
“On Tuesday, January 23, at approximately three o’clock in the afternoon, I visited Mel Lastman Square in Toronto to report on the news and create a video piece about Milad Mohammadi’s sit-in,” he says. “After concluding my interview with Milad Mohammadi, he engaged in a conversation with two men. They expressed their dissatisfaction, questioning why photos of protest victims were displayed at the sit-in instead of the Lion and Sun flag,” a banner used by Iranians as a symbol of opposition to the Islamic Republic.
“In response, Milad said, ‘My flag is the pictures of people who lost their lives during protests and fell victim to the oppressors,'” the journalist adds.
Hasani attempted to capture images of the placard behind Mohammadi but was obstructed by the two men.
They physically assaulted Hasani and his colleague, calling them treaters, when Mohammadi explained to the men that the journalists were filming for the BBC.
Police were called and one of the assailants was eventually arrested.
The man who incited the attack managed to flee the scene but returned the next day to disrupt the sit-in again.
Mohammadi identifies the assailants as “agents” dispatched by Islamic Republic as part of a “tactic to sow division.”
Mohammadi emphasizes that he has not aligned with any specific political group. He contends that the Islamic Republic fears individuals who are able to unite Iranians.
“Our Sole Objective Is the Complete Overthrow of the Islamic Republic”
Mohammadi is highly confident that his sit-in will lead to the inclusion of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Canada’s list of terrorist groups, and will convince Western governments “to put an end to their appeasement policy toward the Islamic Republic.”
The activist acknowledges that standing for extended hours in the cold intensifies the pain in his legs, which bear multiple pellet wounds.
He says that on the first night of the sit-in, “I had nothing with me but soon ordinary citizens brought sleeping bags.”
“Several Iranians, equipped with sleeping bags for themselves, expressed solidarity by stating that they would endure the cold and sleep alongside me,” he recounts.
Mohammadi says he deeply empathizes with Mohammad Ghobadlou’s mother because his own mother experienced similar grief when his brother Shahriar was killed.
“I witnessed the sorrow of other bereaved mothers, which motivated my decision to embark on this sit-in. Many families of those executed have expressed their support,” he says. “People inside Iran are enduring immense suffering and death. The severity of oppression by the Islamic Republic has driven people in Iran to the brink of madness.”
Mohammadi unequivocally declares, “We do not believe in any reforms, and our sole objective is the complete overthrow of the Islamic Republic.”
He pledges to continue his sit-in until January 27. On this day, civil activists in Toronto have issued a call to support Mohammadi, and residents of the city are expected to join him in solidarity.
