Ontario man accused of threatening Iranian ‘Day of Action’ protesters in Toronto – Toronto
Toronto police say a man has been arrested for making online threats against a large rally held Saturday against Iran’s crackdown on protests that have spread across the country.
Hundreds of thousands of people attended the rally on Saturday, wearing red, white and blue flags emblazoned with a golden lion – the flag used by Iran before the Islamic Republic came to power in 1979.
It was one of many rallies taking place in major cities around the world, with 350,000 people taking part in the local event, according to Toronto police figures. In Vancouver, the police chief said about 50,000 people marched.
According to the Toronto police, the service became aware on Friday of a social media threat against the meeting.
They suspect that the threatening man said he was planning to bring a gun to the demonstration with the aim of stopping the event.
Before the rally, Toronto police detectives 32 Division and the emergency response team executed a search warrant at the suspect’s home in Burlington.
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They then arrested a 56-year-old Burlington man and charged him with threatening to cause death or injury.
The suspect was scheduled to appear in court at the Toronto Regional Bail Center on Saturday morning at 10 am
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact police at 416-808-3200 or call Crime Stoppers anonymously.
Iran has been gripped by nationwide protests since late December, fueled by an ongoing economic crisis. Although the focus was initially on the economy, protesters have since voted to end the Islamic Republic, with some even supporting the return of the ousted monarchy.
The Iranian government has clamped down on protests and blacked out the country’s internet. More than 3,000 people have been killed since the protests began.
Saturday’s rally in Toronto was one of many taking place around the world as part of the so-called Global Day of Action.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand recently announced that Canada is imposing additional sanctions on seven individuals under the Special Economic Measures (Iran) Act.
According to a news release from Global Affairs Canada, the sanctioned individuals have ties to Iranian state organizations responsible for “intimidation, violence and international repression targeting Iranian dissidents and human rights defenders.”
Canada has now sanctioned 222 Iranian individuals and 256 Iranian entities, the report said.
–in files from the Canadian Press and the Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
