I was waiting for the elevator making small talk with a neighbor (a 1st generation Canadian from the Philippines). She complained about high gas prices and blamed Trump, saying he planned it to make his friends rich.
Then I told her that I am Iranian, and that I used to be a sharp critic of Trump too, but everything changed. I wanted to hear her views on Iran, and she said: "I know Iranians here don't like the regime, but the locals who live there do. I get that those who left didn't like it, but those inside Iran want the regime."
I was hit with a mix of shock and sadness. I barely had time to counter it. I asked her where she heard this, but she couldn't answer. I told her the regime is actually deeply unpopular inside Iran, but the elevator arrived, it was packed and chaotic, and she got off shortly after.
I feel so sad right now for the brave Iranians, especially the teenagers getting executed. They are so alone, and we are fighting on multiple fronts in a world where lies are fabricated as truth and our nation's resolve is dismissed.
This is the direct consequence of trusted media like CBC and CNN abandoning their journalism and ignoring the Iranian struggle to fit their political narrative.
I think it's more important right now for us to educate our local communities than to just come out on the streets like the early days. We know where we stand, but our neighbors don't. We have to give them the truth about the regime's murderous, genocidal nature and our 47-year struggle for basic human rights.