WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK, Manhattan (PIX11) — Hundreds of people rallied Sunday at Washington Square Park in solidarity with the people of Iran fighting for freedom amid deadly protests.
President Trump said this weekend it’s time to look for new leadership in the country after weeks of escalating tension and threats of U.S. military action.
“We’re here amplifying the voices of the people of Iran who are asking for freedom from the terrorist regime, the IRGC and the mullahs who are running a theocracy and killing their own people,” said rally attendee Lemor Balter with Women Life Freedom NYC.
A U.S.-based activist agency said Sunday it has verified at least 3,766 deaths during a wave of protests that swept Iran and led to a bloody crackdown and fears the number could be significantly higher.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency posted the revised figure, up from the previous toll of 3,308. The death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades, and recalls the chaos surrounding the 1979 revolution.
Iranian officials have not given a clear death toll, although on Saturday, the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the protests had left “several thousand” people dead — and blamed the United States for the deaths. It was the first indication from an Iranian leader of the extent of the casualties from the wave of protests that began Dec. 28 over Iran’s ailing economy.
“They’re getting killed in the streets really bad for wanting freedom,” said rally attendee Nima Poursohi.
“No human should have to go through what they’re going through, to be able to dance freely, sing freely, live a normal life,” said Balter.
President Trump recently suggested possible U.S. military strikes against Iran, but he appeared to pull back last week.
“We’ve been told the killing in Iran is stopping,” said President Trump on Wednesday. “And there’s no plan for executions, so I’ve been told that on good authority. We’ll find out about it.”
At Washington Square Park, calls echoed for the president to take action.
“He has to live up to his word. If he’s giving empty threats, that doesn’t help anybody. President Trump, the people of Iran are begging, begging for your support,” said Balter
“Trump is not supporting Reza Pahlavi, the only leader that we have that could unify the country and fill the vacuum that is going to be created,” said rally attendee Shapour Ejlal.
Now, with the world watching for the next moves, the crowd of demonstrators in New York City hoped their message would reach the White House.
“Whether it’s boots on the ground, whether it’s policies, whether it’s everything, he needs to act now before it’s too late,” said Balter.
“My uncle being a prisoner during the revolution and stuff, my family suffering oppression in Iran, still having some relatives there suffering under this, and after 47 years, it would be an honor to see the people of Iran free,” said Poursohi.
Iranian officials have repeatedly accused the United States and Israel of fomenting unrest in the country.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a post on Sunday on X, blamed “longstanding enmity and inhumane sanctions” imposed by the U.S. and its allies for any hardships the Iranian people might be facing. “Any aggression against the Supreme Leader of our country is tantamount to all-out war against the Iranian nation,” he wrote.