Toronto Police Praise Orderly Protest of 350,000 Asking for Regime Change in Iran

Toronto Police say the large-scale weekend demonstration for freeing Iran, with 350,000 attendees, was held safely, thanking community and policing partners for their help.

Approximately 350,000 people gathered in Toronto on Feb. 14 to participate in a 3.8-kilometre march for the Global Day of Action Rally for Iran, while similar protests took place in major cities around the world.

“We want to sincerely thank our community partners and GTA policing partners who supported our officers in keeping everyone safe during yesterday’s Global Day of Action,” the Toronto Police Service said in a Feb. 15 post on X.

“Safely managing up to 350,000 demonstrators is a testament to careful planning, close coordination, effective multi‑agency collaboration, and policing excellence on a large scale.”

Hillel Neuer, an international human rights lawyer and executive director of United Nations Watch, thanked Toronto Police for their “planning excellence” and Iranian Canadians for “being a decent, peaceful and model community.”

Also praising the peaceful demonstration is the Toronto Police Association, the city’s municipal police union, saying the protest remained largely without incident.

“Even with such an enormous crowd, the demonstration remained peaceful and largely without incident,” the Association said in a Feb. 15 post on X. “The Toronto Police Association extends its sincere thanks to all @TorontoPolice members whose professionalism helped ensure an event of this magnitude was facilitated respectfully and safely.”

Toronto Police say they arrested two individuals allegedly targeting the rally.

The Toronto Police Service said in a Feb. 15 news release that they arrested Michael David Holland, 56, of Burlington, Ont., after it became aware on Feb. 13 of a threat made online targeting the rally. The police service said it is alleged that Holland made a threat of causing harm to rally participants on social media, and the online threat allegedly stated intentions of attending the demonstration with a firearm to prevent the gathering.

Toronto Police also arrested Seyed Vorudi, 26, of Toronto, in connection with a suspected hate-motivated assault at the rally, the police service said in a Feb. 16 news release. Toronto Police said it is alleged that the victim of the assault was participating in the demonstration and encountered Vorudi while marching. Vorudi allegedly made anti-black comments to the victim and proceeded to punch the victim in the chest and face, police say.

The Toronto rally was part of many demonstrations taking place worldwide as part of what Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi has called a Global Day of Action.

Ehsan Karami, a prominent Iranian actor and singer, said he supports the leadership of Pahlavi to lead the protest movement to change the regime in Iran. Pahlavi has said he wants to lead Iran through regime change and a transition period to create the conditions for free elections, allowing the Iranian people to choose their future.

“I follow Prince Reza Pahlavi,” Karami told The Epoch Times. “We have a world-class leader, so we’ll follow him to get to the ballot box. At that point, I believe, we can decide the form of government we want in the most peaceful and democratic fashion.”

Kaveh Yaghmaei, a prominent Iranian musician who lives in Toronto, thanked all those who joined the Toronto demonstration to support protesters in Iran who lost their lives.

“We will fight until we are free,” Yaghmaei told The Epoch Times.

The demonstration in Toronto came amid countrywide protests in Iran that began late December against the country’s skyrocketing inflation and the collapse of the Iranian rial, with protests since then more directly calling for an end to Tehran’s clerical leadership. The Iranian regime has cracked down on protesters with tens of thousands feared dead.

The demonstration also came as Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced on Feb. 14 that Canada is imposing additional sanctions on seven individuals under the Special Economic Measures (Iran) Regulations. Global Affairs Canada said the individuals have ties to Iranian state organizations responsible for “intimidation, violence and transnational repression targeting Iranian dissidents and human rights defenders.”

Canada has now sanctioned 222 Iranian individuals and 256 Iranian entities.