Thousands gather to mourn, call for justice on third anniversary of Flight PS752 tragedy & More Trending News
B.C. Premier David Eby stood in solidarity Sunday with grieving households in North Vancouver who gathered to mark three years since Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired a pair of surface-to-air missiles at a civilian airplane over Tehran, killing all 176 individuals on board.
The North Vancouver occasion was one of a number of memorials held Sunday to mark the anniversary, together with one in Toronto.
Fifty-five Canadian residents had been on the flight together with 30 everlasting residents and others with ties to Canada.
It was the most important loss of Canadian lives in an air catastrophe since 280 Canadians died in 1985 after a bomb exploded on Air India Flight 182 travelling to London, England, from Toronto.
In a press release previous the gathering in North Vancouver, the place many Iranian-Canadians with ties to the tragedy reside, Eby stated he joined them to mourn the deaths “on this solemn day of pain, sorrow and grief.
“Our outrage on the assault on Flight 752 is undiminished by the passing years,” he said. “We once more condemn this horrific act and stand with the victims’ households in demanding justice.”
Victims’ families say three years after the tragedy they have yet to see the Iranian government be held accountable for the crime.
“Those households deserve solutions,” Eby said at the event. “And these victims deserve justice.”
Monument to be built
Eby and the City of North Vancouver pledged up to $100,000 to build a monument in honour of the victims of Flight 752, but did not provide details on the location or when it would be built.
Seven of the victims were residents of the North Shore, including Delaram Dadashnejad, Faye Kazerani, Firouzeh Madani, Fatehmeh Pasavand, Ayeshe Pourghaderi, Naser Pourshabanoshibi, and Daniel Saket.
Hamidreza Borghei, 27, lost four family members in the tragedy, including his sister Negar Borghei, who was 30 when she died and had been living in Ontario.
“You cannot actually [quantify] the quantity of loss that we have felt … irrespective of how onerous we attempt there’s nonetheless that void in our hearts,” he said from the event.
“We simply hope that possibly this could be the catalyst to [bring] change in Iran in some unspecified time in the future so we will search justice for all of the criminals that made this occur.”
The crowd walked about 2.5 kilometres from a park in North Vancouver to the Shipyards, a waterfront area overlooking downtown Vancouver. Eby and others spoke while attendees held signs under heavy rain that read “Justice for Iran PS752” and “UNHCR take instant motion for Iran.”
Hundreds of people marching in <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/NorthVancouver?src=hash&ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>#NorthVancouver</a>, chanting for justice and freedom for Iran. The crowd includes family members of the victims of flight PS752, shot down by an Iranian missile three years ago. 176 passengers were killed including 55 Canadians. <a href=”https://twitter.com/cbcnewsbc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@cbcnewsbc</a> <a href=”https://t.co/8fHQs5V1yj”>pic.twitter.com/8fHQs5V1yj</a>
—@JanellaCBC
The City of North Vancouver said in a tweet that it estimated the group to be round 7,000 individuals.
Police closed roads and warned of traffic delays due to the big crowd attending the occasion.
UPDATE: The parade has arrived at the <a href=”https://twitter.com/shipyardsdist?ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>@shipyardsdist</a>. Traffic on Lonsdale Ave is open. Heavy congestion remains in and around the Shipyards area. Drive with caution. <a href=”https://twitter.com/CityOfNorthVan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@CityOfNorthVan</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/AM730Traffic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@AM730Traffic</a> <a href=”https://t.co/yOPLJyaKG4″>pic.twitter.com/yOPLJyaKG4</a>
—@nvanrcmp
Countries representing victims were stonewalled by Iran following an invitation to negotiate compensation for the victims’ loved ones, while the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims published its own report on the incident in an effort to uncover what happened before and after the plane was downed.
They want a criminal probe and Ottawa to list IRGC as terrorist organization.
Arman Abtahi, one of the organizers of North Vancouver’s rally, lost his brother Dr. Mehran Abtahi, who was 38 when the plane was shot down.
“We do not have time to grieve, we’ve got to battle and after the autumn of the Islamic regime we’ve got time to grieve,” he said from North Vancouver on Sunday.
In Toronto, another large crowd gathered to mark the anniversary and call for justice. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to the crowd, promising more action.
Three years ago, the Iranian regime shot down Flight PS752 and cut short the lives of everyone on board. Today in Toronto, we’re coming together to honour the victims – and to recommit to getting their families the justice they deserve. Watch here: <a href=”https://t.co/TyjybCJYL4″>https://t.co/TyjybCJYL4</a>
—@JustinTrudeau
An Iranian-Canadian cultural centre on Vancouver Island also held a rally Sunday, and the University of British Columbia marked the day in honour of four victims who were members of the school’s community: Dr. Mehran Abtahi, Niloofar Razzaghi, Zeynab Asadi Lari and Mohammadhossein Asadi Lari.
Thousands gather to mourn, call for justice on third anniversary of Flight PS752 tragedy
Thousands gather to mourn, call for justice on third anniversary of Flight PS752 tragedy
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Thousands gather to mourn, call for justice on third anniversary of Flight PS752 tragedy