A ‘human chain’ of protesters lined-up along the east-sidewalk of Yonge Street Saturday in support of the people of Iran.
The Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims organized the event, officially known as ‘The Human Chain: a Link to Iran’s Revolution,’ in conjuncture with other protests across Canada and the world.
The chain stretched along Yonge Street from Finch Avenue to Dundas Street.
“This event is intended to echo the voices of those who continue to suffer under the brutal rule of the Islamic Republic Regime and reflect the voices of the families of victims who have lost their loves ones in recent days and during the past 44 years,” the association said in an Instagram post.
The association said similar events were held in major cities across the world and in nine other Canadian cities including London, Ottawa and Waterloo.
“The human chain is a display of unity and peaceful protest intended to engage the public and communicate with the communities at large in countries around the world where Iranians reside,” the association said.
“The purpose of these events are to affect the public opinion, centres of power, media and international organizations in relation to justice and human rights in Iran.”
Event organizers said that there were no plans to have a rally, march or speeches during or after the protest and asked people who planned to participate to not “crowd in groups and keep the chain as one line” along the sidewalk of the route.
Participants were asked to show up anytime after 10 a.m. to a specific intersection based on the first letter of their last name.
“To succeed in our objective, we must make our best efforts to organize our community peacefully and cohesively without any disruptions to the local residents, traffic and the businesses in the area,” the association said.
