An Iranian-owned boxing gym in Thornhill was targeted by gunfire early Sunday morning in an apparent threat against activists speaking out against the Islamic Republic governing Iran.
York Regional Police officers were called to Saliwan Boxing, near Yonge Street and Steeles Avenue West, at around 3 am following reports of a shooting.
The gym’s entrance was riddled with bullet holes and broken glass in videos uploaded to social media by Salar Gholami, the business’s owner and a key activist in anti-regime protests across the GTA in recent months.
“This happened exactly one hour after people had gathered here to deliberate the death of the oppressive leader of the Islamic Republic,” Gholami said in a post, wearing a sweater with an image of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the former King of Iran. “Imagine if families and children had still been here when those shots were fired. The consequences could have been catastrophic.”
“It shows that it’s no longer safe here for Canadians themselves, it’s not just about Iranians,” said a statement shared by Gholami’s spokesperson, Pouria Afkhami. “They’ve created a place where Canadian citizens cannot live comfortably.”
York Regional Police told the National Post they believe the shooting was targeted, but have not established a motive. Officers are canvassing local businesses and residences in search of a suspect vehicle and description, said YRP Inspector Jason DinsMore. There were no injuries.
For his part, Gholami believe the shooting is directly related to his activism, and that agents of the Islamic regime were involved.
“According to the Supreme Leader’s [ruling]… they had said this themselves before, that we will punish those who organize rallies and demonstrations abroad, and this is part of the IRGC’s policies.”
The protests organized by Gholami’s group shattered the record for the largest protest in Toronto twice last month.
Toronto Police reported no incidents at the 150,000-person march in downtown Toronto on February 1. More than 350,000 attended the solidarity for Iran protest on February 14, according to police. Iranians were seen handing flowers to officers at both.
Canadian authorities are aware of threats by the Islamic regime against dissidents here, and Canada’s domestic spy agency has confirmed efforts to thwart some of those threats.
“We’ve had to reprioritize our operations to counter the actions of Iranian intelligence services and their proxies who have targeted individuals they perceive as threats to their regime,” said Daniel Rogers, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, at a press conference in November. “In more than one case, this involved detecting, investigating, and disrupting potentially lethal threats against individuals in Canada.”
“This is what happens when the Canadian government deals with the Mullahs and lets them in,” Gholami told Iran International. “17 bullets could have meant 17 dead Canadians.”
The attack could be part of a pattern in Western nations related to developments in the Middle East.
Also on early Sunday morning, a gunman killed two people and injured 14 others outside a bar in Austin, Texas. The suspect was wearing a sweatshirt that said “property of Allah,” according to the Associated Press, which reported that local police are investigating links between the incident and Iran.
Separately, a video circulating on social media appears to show a Persian restaurant in Melbourne, Australia, that had its window shattered today. Similar to Saliwan boxing gym, the restaurant’s window displayed an Iranian flag featuring the lion and sun, a symbol banned by the Islamic Republic.
These attacks come during joint U.S.-Israeli air strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and subsequent counter-strikes on Israel and Arab states hosting U.S. assets. The highly anticipated strikes began two months after the start of mass protests in Iran, followed by a brutal regime crackdown that saw the killings of tens of thousands of Iranians.
Gholami is intent on continuing his activism, despite facing threats.
“The police told me not to go there, but I was the first person there this morning,” he told Iran International. “I’m a Kurdish-Iranian, and I would be proud to die for my country. ”
After the Thornhill shooting, Gholami called for a protest outside the U.S. consulate in Toronto on Sunday afternoon.
“They might be able to take my life,” he told the crowd in a video. “But they cannot take our honour.”
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