Iranian-Canadians and supporters mourn at Vancouver Art Gallery plaza
Credit to Author: Kevin Griffin| Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2020 00:58:53 +0000
Several hundred Iranian-Canadians and their supporters mourned the 176 people killed on-board Flight PS 752 on Sunday afternoon.
As rain and snow fell, which was followed by sun, people gathered in the north plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery. Speakers from different communities came together to remember loved ones, friends and community members who died when the Ukraine International Airlines flight was shot down in error by a missile Wednesday morning as it left Tehran destined for Kyiv, the first leg of a popular return flight for many Iranian-Canadians to Canada.
The dead included 57 Iranian-Canadians, 14 of whom were from B.C.
Organizer Nazanin Moghadami recalled how different things were less than two weeks ago when people gathered with friends and family preparing for the countdown to the new year.
“Little did we know that our world would be turned upside down,” she told the crowd.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan was among the speakers Sunday afternoon as several hundred Iranian-Canadians and their supporters gathered in the north plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery to mourn the 176 people killed on board Ukraine International Airline Flight PS 752.
As she prepared for Sunday’s gathering, she recalled sitting in a friend’s guest room as everyone looked up recipes for halvah and how to prepare dates, traditional foods served at Iranian mourning ceremonies.
She said her friends tried to make sense of what happened by reading and citing numerous news stories, Tweets, books, studies and more.
“I close the door so I can prepare what I am going to talk about today and tears are just running down my face — a feeling that’s not unfamiliar for a lot of you today,” she said.
The past 10 days, she said, have been full of worry, stress, unease and restlessness. For many Iranian-Canadians it has been a period that has made them fearful and scared that Iran may experience yet another war.
“This horrendous act of terror led to a lot of sleepless nights for a lot of us and an obsessive refreshing of Twitter and news outlets and pages to just find out what is going on,” Moghadami said.
Members of the Iranian community gather to create a space for the community to come together on Sunday
She recounted a story of a friend who called in sick to work because she couldn’t bear the idea of hearing more news. She also told of a friend’s brother who had a panic attack as he scrambled to find a flight for his mother to bring her back to Canada from Iran after the assassination of Iranian Major-Gen. Qasem Soleimani.
“This is our reality,” Moghadami said.
Natalie Jatskevich, president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress B.C. Branch, said she was at the event to support the Iranian-Canadian community. The nine crew members killed aboard Flight PS 752 were Ukrainian.
“It’s a tragedy we just could not stay away and wanted to support people who lost loved ones,” she said earlier. “Most of all I hope that this event … will give a chance to share their pain, their grieving and find some comfort from each other and support.”
Other speakers included Khelsilem Tl’akwasikan, a Squamish Nation councillor, who welcomed everyone in Squamish to the traditional territories of the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh; Harjit Sajjan, federal defence minister; and Adrian Dix, provincial minister of health.
Harjit Sajjan, federal minister of defence, joined with several hundred Iranian-Canadians and their supporters who gathered Sunday afternoon in the north plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery to mourn the 176 people killed on-board Ukraine International Airline Flight PS 752. Photo: Kevin Griffin