Iranian-Montrealers worried about their families amid protests

Iranian-Montrealers say they are worried about their families, after not hearing from them in days.

It’s been five days since Canadian-Iranian musician Amir Amiri last heard from his family amid two weeks of anti-government protests in Iran.

“The internet has been shut down. Normally, usually, they shut down the internet because they don’t want anything to seep outside for the world to see what they’re doing,” Amiri said.

Amiri says he moved to Canada in his 20s, but his parents remained in Iran.

While the Islamic Republic has faced several periods of political and economic instability over the years, he says this time feels different.

“What sparked the whole unrest was economic, sort of, because of the huge inflation,” he said.

Many around the world have taken to the streets in solidarity of the Iranian people, including protesters who filled Sainte-Catherine Street this weekend, demanding the fall of Iran’s Islamic regime.

After trickling news of killings in Iran and little way of communicating with those in the country by internet or phone, many say they are feeling worried and helpless.

Parisa Karimi Molan, a Montreal musician, says she began her career as a singer in Iran before moving to Montreal in 2017.

It was against all odds, she says, since women were often silenced and forced to sing in the shadows.

She adds that her struggles were nothing compared to those faced by the people still in Iran, and the stress of not knowing if her loved ones are alright.

“The night of the internet blackout in Iran, my friend wrote to me that, ‘I’m going out.’ And I wrote back to her that, ‘when you come back, just let me know that you are OK, everything is OK.’ I have no news from her,” Molan told CTV News.

She says this is why she is using every word to breathe hope into a dark time through song and through poetry.

Amid fears of a violent crackdown, survival, transparency and change are what both Molan and Amiri say they wish for their community.