MONTREAL -- The victims of the plane crash in Iran that claimed 176 lives were honoured with a series of vigils across Canada on Sunday.
In Montreal more than 1,000 people gathered downtown. Among them were family members of some of the victims. Armin and Arash Morattab lost their brother Arvin and sister-in-law Ida.
“We were twins,” said Armin. “Arvin was always smiling, always curious. They were lovers.”
Ukrainian Airline Flight 752 was shot down on Wednesday. The Iranian government said the plane was hit by a missile that was accidentally fired. At the vigil held in the EVO building, the brothers demanded justice for Arvin and the other victims.
“Many of them were Iranian and the plane was shot down by their own government,” said Armin. “I believe that this is a mixture of sadness, sorrow and anger, which brings all the people that you see here together.”
Mourners lit candles, left flowers and wrote messages of support. Anger occasionally boiled over as some attendees criticized the Iranian government for not taking responsibility sooner, saying the government lied to victims’ families.
At an earlier vigil held at NDG’s Trenhold Park demonstrators chanted and held up signs demanding justice for plane’s passengers and the Iranian people.
