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A new grassroots initiative is aiming to keep attention focused on Iran and maintain momentum in support of the Iranian people.

Every Friday at Mel Lastman Square in North York, Iranians and their allies will gather to wave the historic Lion and Sun flag of Iran alongside Canadian, Israeli, and other allied flags. The weekly event is not affiliated with any organization and is being organized by individual members of the community who say they are determined to keep Iran in the public eye

Tonight 🇮🇷 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/dF4WflWWK9

— Scarlett Grace (@ScarlettGrace92) June 5, 2026

The first gathering took place on June 5 and drew supporters from a variety of backgrounds. Among them was an individual carrying the flag of Afghanistan who identified himself as an ally of both Israel and the Iranian people.

Upon arriving at the demonstration, I heard participants chanting, "Free Palestine from Hamas!" The chant was a response to an individual who repeatedly paced back and forth amongst the crowd shouting, "Free Palestine, Free Palestine," over and over again without engaging in any further discussion or argument. The scene was almost robotic, as he appeared programmed to repeat a single phrase while walking among the demonstrators.

The individual repeatedly approached as close to participants as possible without making physical contact, appearing to attempt to provoke a reaction while avoiding being the first to cross the line. Demonstrators did not respond physically and limited themselves to shouting back.

At a June 5 flag-waving event for Iran at Mel Lastman Square, an individual repeatedly paced through the crowd shouting, "Free, free Palestine," over and over without engaging in any discussion or debate.

The individual repeatedly approached demonstrators as closely as possible… pic.twitter.com/Om8Z90sWYg

— Scarlett Grace (@ScarlettGrace92) June 9, 2026

At one point, the man held up text on his phone reading, "Reza Pahlavi is a pedo." The accusation was ironic coming from an individual who had previously claimed to be Palestinian at another demonstration. Child marriage is a growing problem in Gaza, and the overwhelming majority of Palestinians are Muslim, following a prophet who, according to Islamic tradition, married Aisha when she was six years old and consummated the marriage when she was nine.

Before the war, Gaza had one of the highest rates of marrying children.

But of course the AP needs to make excuses for Palestinian child marriage and raping children. pic.twitter.com/hRaIIJpPxc

— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) June 2, 2026

While the conflict involving Iran remains under a ceasefire, the regime's repression has not stopped. Executions continue as the Islamic Republic seeks to punish dissidents and discourage further resistance.

Participants say they will continue speaking on behalf of the people of Iran until their homeland is free from the Islamic Republic that has held their country hostage since 1979.