Statement of solidarity with the people of Iran
We are deeply saddened and concerned about the difficult circumstances imposed on the Iranian people today; a people who have been paying heavy and unjust costs for years under the pressure of crippling sanctions, misguided economic policies, psychological insecurity, and now the consequences of the 12-day war of June 2025.
The Iranian Canadian Congress has previously warned about the devastating effects of sanctions on the people—particularly the disenfranchised—emphasizing that policies such as these not only do not lead to democracy and freedom, but also exacerbate the suffering of citizens.
Reducing the destructive effects of sanctions and economic crises requires justice-oriented economic policies and transparent accountability of officials within the country. Effectively combating corruption, preventing rent-seeking, and implementing just financial policies that address the widening wealth gap can prevent the escalation of inequalities that further exacerbate the suffering of citizens.
While our hope is that policy improvements are achieved while maintaining national security and social stability, we implore that the people's legitimate demands must not be used as a pretext for abuse and foreign interference. At the same time, those in positions of power are obligated to provide an environment where civil voices and peaceful demands can be heard, with restraint, tolerance, and respect for civil rights.
In these difficult moments, we declare our solidarity with the people of Iran and reiterate the need for a serious review of policies that hold citizens' lives hostage.
Educational documents and tools against Online harassment and cyberbullying
Since 2008, the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) has worked tirelessly with the interests of the Iranian Canadian community in mind, and with the core values of peace, solidarity, freedom, justice and transparency. It is unfortunate that the ICC and its board members have frequently been the target of cyberbullying by individuals who oppose our core values, who choose aggression over peace, bullying over freedom of speech, and trolling while cowardly hiding behind their -sometimes unknown- online identity.
The ICC board members, and the members of the public alike, have been targeted by such bullies on many social media platforms, who aim to create a toxic atmosphere or hoping to interfere with or to discourage the board members from their peaceful activities.
The ICC board members are and have been aware and prepared to face the trolls and the toxic environment that they wish to create, finding encouragement instead of being discouraged, and determination instead of distraction. After all, the harder the trolls try, the more we have reason to believe in the positive impacts of ICC’s overall strategies, giving us more reason and determination to continue working toward our peaceful ambitions.
Despite the above, we condemn the acts of cyberbullying, and encourage our members and the public to stay sensitive about such activities. Cyberbullying, especially when it involves physical threats, is a criminal activity and the ICC will assess such activities going forward and may choose to report them to the respective social media platform, or in more serious cases to the police. For further information about cyberbullying please consult the following resources.
https://www.unicef.org/end-violence/how-to-stop-cyberbullying
https://ssd.eff.org/module/your-security-plan
https://womensmediacenter.com/speech-project/tools-resources
https://www.datasociety.net/pubs/oh/Online_Harassment_2016.pdf
http://cdeacf.ca/boite-outils-cyberintimidation
https://onlineharassmentfieldmanual.pen.org/protecting-information-from-doxing/