'We want freedom': Demonstrators in Vancouver gathered for 2nd weekend in a row to protest Iran regime

Thousands of people lined up along Georgia Street in downtown Vancouver Saturday, chanting for revolutionary change for the people of Iran and called for the Canadian government to offer Iranians more support. 

The demonstrators stood shoulder-to-shoulder, and held hands to form a human chain that stretched from the Vancouver Art Gallery to Stanley Park.

It was the second major protest in the B.C. city against Iran's laws dictating how women dress, and the strict oversight of the Islamic Republic's morality police.

Dozens of similar events kicked off at the same time Saturday in major cities across Canada, as civil unrest and violent clashes between protesters and police continue in Iran, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, while in police custody, on Sept. 16.

Maryam Shariatmadari, who first protested against hijab laws in Iran four years ago, says it's inspiring to see a massive turnout years after speaking out and not receiving much open support.

"We want freedom," she said in an interview. "It's not freedom when a man comes and says, 'Why are you doing that? Why are you wearing that?'"

Shariatmardari told CBC she wanted to make sure her message was clear and repeated it in Farsi for a friend who acted as an interpreter.

"Our law in Iran is based on Sharia law," she said. "And what we want is a law based on human rights."

Rowshan Rahmanian, who moved to Canada from Iran 12 years ago, says the ongoing protests are "unprecedented."

"This is an unprecedented situation in the revolution of the social movement in Iran," Rahmanian told CBC, explaining that for the first time, women and women's rights are at the forefront of the push for change.

Rather than focusing on politics or overthrowing a dictator, he says a new slogan sums up the new movement well: "Women, life, freedom."

He recalled the fear and anxiety of living in Iran and seeing the white and green vans driven by the morality police, describing their presence as "dark and intimidating." 

He says Iranians have always felt the police were there to control rather than to protect.

While women are leading the charge, Rahmanian says the protests have evolved to promote minority rights, oppose police brutality and all forms of discrimination.