British Columbia Premier David Eby expressed solidarity Sunday with grieving families in North Vancouver who gathered to mark three years since Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired two surface-to-air missiles at a civilian airliner over Tehran. killing all 176 people on board.
The event in North Vancouver was one of several memorials held Sunday to mark the anniversary, including one in Toronto.
Fifty-five Canadian citizens were on the flight along with 30 permanent residents and others with ties to Canada.
It was the largest Canadian loss of life in an air crash since 280 Canadians died in 1985 when a bomb exploded on Air India Flight 182 bound for London, England, from Toronto.
In a statement ahead of the gathering in North Vancouver, home to many Iranian-Canadians connected to the tragedy, Eby said he joined them to mourn the death “on this solemn day of pain, sadness and grief.
“Our outrage at the attack on Flight 752 has not diminished over the years,” he said. “We again condemn this horrific act and stand with the families of the victims in demanding justice.”
British Columbia Premier David Ibey spoke at a memorial Sunday in North Vancouver to mark the third anniversary of the downing of Flight PS752. (Sean Foss/CBC News)
The families of the victims say that three years after the tragedy, they have yet to see the Iranian government held accountable for the crime.
“These families deserve answers,” Eby said at the event. “And these victims deserve justice.
Monument to build
Eby and the city of North Vancouver pledged up to $100,000 to build a memorial to the victims of Flight 752, but did not provide details on where or when it would be built.
Seven of the victims were residents of the North Bank, including Delaram Dadashnejad, Faye Kazerani, Firuzeh Madani, Fatehme Passavand, Ayeshe Pourhaderi, Nasser Pourshabanoshibi and Daniel Saket.
WATCH | Collections mark 3 years since PS752 took down:
Friends and family of victims of flight PS752 are demanding justice 3 years after the tragedy
Memorials were held across the country to mark three years since Flight PS752 was shot down over Iran, killing all 176 people on board. Many of the victims’ relatives have spent the past three years pressing the Canadian government to act.
Hamidreza Borghei, 27, lost four family members in the tragedy, including his sister Negar Borghei, who was 30 when she died and lived in Ontario.
“You really can’t [quantify] the amount of loss we’ve felt… no matter how hard we try, there’s still this emptiness in our hearts,” he said from the event.
“We’re just hoping that maybe that will be the catalyst for [bring] change in Iran at some point so we can seek justice for all the criminals who made this happen.”
The crowd walked about 2.5 kilometers from a park in North Vancouver to the shipyards, a waterfront area overlooking downtown Vancouver. Eby and others spoke as attendees held signs in the pouring rain that read “Justice for Iran PS752” and “UNHCR Take Immediate Action on Iran.”
Hundreds of people are marching pic.twitter.com/8fHQs5V1yj
—@JanellaCBC
The City of North Vancouver said in a tweet that it estimated the crowd at about 7,000.
Police closed roads and warned of traffic delays due to the large crowd attending the event.
UPDATE: The parade arrived on pic.twitter.com/yOPLJyaKG4
—@nvanrcmp
Countries representing the victims were blocked by Iran after an invitation to negotiate compensation for victims’ relatives, while the Association of Families of Victims of Flight PS752 released its own report on the incident in an attempt to reveal what happened before and after the downing of the plane.
They want a criminal investigation and Ottawa to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization.
Arman Abtahi was one of the organizers of the rally in North Vancouver to mark the third anniversary of the downing of Flight PS752. His brother, Dr. Mehran Abtahi, died when the plane was shot down. (Sean Foss/CBC News)
Arman Abtahi, one of the organizers of the North Vancouver rally, lost his brother, Dr. Mehran Abtahi, who was 38 years old when the plane was shot down.
“We don’t have time to mourn, we have to fight and after the fall of the Islamic regime we have time to mourn,” 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 addressed 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 gather to honor the victims – and recommit to getting their families the justice they deserve. Watch here: https://t.co/TyjybCJYL4
—@JustinTrudeau
An Iranian-Canadian Cultural Center on Vancouver Island also held a rally on Sunday, and the University of British Columbia marked the day in honor of four victims who were members of the school community: Dr. Mehran Abtahi, Niloufar Razzaghi, Zeinab Asadi Lari and Mohammadhossein Asadi Larry.
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