Hundreds of thousands of people marched down Yonge Street to drums and chants of “King Reza Pahlavi” at a rally in North York, as similar protests took place in major cities around the world.
Protesters held up red, white and blue flags emblazoned with a golden lion – the flag used by Iran before the Islamic Republic took power in 1979, toppling the former monarchy.
Demonstrators are calling for an end to government repression in Iran as widespread protests across the country have been met with violent incidents.
Toronto police estimated 350,000 people participated.
In Vancouver, the police chief said about 50,000 people marched there.
“It’s hard to see that our friends and families in Iran are being held in prison for no reason, shot in the head for (using) their democratic voice,” Nima Najafi said at the Toronto protest.
Najafi said he attended a demonstration two weeks ago with anti-government protesters in Iran at Sankofa Square in Toronto. He said Saturday’s protest was two-fold.
Toronto police said 150,000 people attended the Sankofa Square rally.
Najafi and others have suggested the return of the exiled Iranian prince, Reza Pahlavi, saying he is the only leader who can help Iran finally transition to democracy.
Thousands of protesters held pictures of Pahlavi in the march, alongside pictures of people killed in Iran.
Arshia Aghdasi, a protester who flew to Toronto from Florida to join the rally, called on foreign countries to intervene in Iran, especially the US.
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US President Donald Trump has suggested that the US may attack Iran for the killing of peaceful protesters in the country. Some protesters on Saturday carried signs with Trump’s face on them, calling on the US president to end nuclear talks with Iran and take military action.
Najafi said that at first he was against the suggestion that foreign countries intervene in Iran, but now he believes that it is the only way forward.
“I had a friend who was shot in the head. He died. He was a pharmacist … a friend from high school,” he said. “I had another friend of mine who was arrested because he is a doctor who treats patients.”
Iran has been gripped by protests across the country since late December, fueled by an ongoing economic crisis that has weakened the country’s currency.
While the protesters were initially focused on Iran’s economy, the protesters are now calling for the end of Iran’s Islamic Republic, with some supporting the return of the ousted monarchy to power.
The Iranian government, which has responded to the protests by shutting down the Internet, said more than 3,000 people have been killed since the protests began.
The US-based Center for Human Rights, the most accurate death toll in Iran’s recent unrest, has put the death toll at more than 7,000.
Arash Karimi said he was protesting on Yonge Street in solidarity with unarmed civilians killed in Iran, calling the overthrow of the government a “one-sided war against the people.”
“Every Iranian knows someone, relatives or friends, (who were killed),” he said.
Amirali Ahzan, a protester who wore an Iranian lion and sun flag and a rainbow Pride flag on his back, said he hoped the unrest in Iran would lead to political change that would ensure more rights for Iranians.
Ahzan said he fled Iran three years ago because he feared for his safety as a member of the LGBTQ community. Homosexuality is a crime in Iran.
Before he escaped, Ahzan said he was briefly arrested in Iran for attending an event where alcohol was available. Drinking alcohol is also banned in Iran.
Ahzan said it was unclear how many LGBTQ Iranians had been killed or arrested since the protests began. He said he was marching on Saturday to honor them.
“I think it’s my job to be their voice,” he said. “There are too many people like me who have been marginalized and made criminals. I want to represent them.”
Ahzan said he wanted Pahlavi to lead a “free Iran” and called on the exiled prince to promote women’s rights, human rights and human rights in the country.
Saturday’s rally was one of many taking place around the world as part of what Pahlavi called the Global Day of Action.
Pahlavi said Toronto, Munich and Los Angeles will be the main gathering places for Iranians living abroad to protest and call for regime change in Iran.
The demonstration in Munich was attended by more than 200,000 people, according to the German news agency dpa.
Police warned the public to stay away from Saturday’s protest, which they said would cause traffic and transport delays. Police closed off streets, including parts of Yonge Street and North York Boulevard, ahead of the rally.
The protests came as Foreign Minister Anita Anand announced that Canada was imposing additional sanctions on seven individuals under the Special Economic Measures (Iran) Regulations.
A Global Affairs Canada news release said the individuals involved have ties to Iranian state organizations responsible for “intimidation, violence and international repression targeting Iranian dissidents and human rights defenders.”
It said Canada has now sanctioned 222 Iranian individuals and 256 Iranian entities.
– Via files from the Associated Press
© 2026 The Canadian Press
