2026 Iranian diaspora protests
During the 2025–2026 Iranian protests and the ensuing internet blackout and massacres, many from the Iranian diaspora have held solidarity rallies worldwide against the Islamic Republic, including in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, Austria, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Ukraine, Turkey, Ghana, Israel, Georgia, Armenia, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Chile. By 20 January, the country with the most rallies was Germany with 27 rallies in the ten days between 11 and 20 January. The US and Australia held 23 rallies each during this period, Canada held 19, and the UK held 12. While the number of protesters across many of the rallies is unclear, a rally in Toronto was reported to have 150,000 in attendance, and a protest in Los Angeles was reported to have 60,000 protesters.
Protester demands
Protesters called for the international community to take "immediate action" against the Iranian regime's actions in suppressing protesters during the 2026 Iran massacres, while expressing support for the Iranian people and Reza Pahlavi, son of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Pahlavi meanwhile expressed his support for the protesters, and called on all Iranians, including security and law enforcement forces, to join the protests.At many of the rallies, protesters replaced the flag of the Islamic Republic with the Lion and Sun flag, the Iranian flag prior to the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Slogans included "Free political prisoners", "Long live the king", "Death to Khamenei", "king Reza Pahlavi" and "This is the final battle—Pahlavi will return". Protesters' signs condemned the "New Holocaust," a "genocide in the making," and "terror".
Iranian Americans called for the deportation of senior Iranian officials' relatives, some of whom live in the United States. In Atlanta, Georgia, a group protested the employment of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, daughter of Ali Larijani, outside her place of employment at the Winship Cancer Institute. Ali Larijani has been described as the mastermind of the massacres, according to former Iranian government officials. Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani was fired from her position following the protests. Similarly on 30 January, protesters in San Jose, California urged for the dismissal of another Iranian official's son, Ehsan Nouhi Bezanjani, the son of Kobra Khazali, from his job at Intuitive Institute.
Another concern cited by protestors is the internet blackout, which they say is a method used by the regime to prevent protesters from within the country from effectively communicating, while covering up a deadly repression of protesters. During the internet blackout in Iran, Iranian diaspora internet users ran applications to share part of their bandwidth in an attempt to help users inside Iran circumvent the blackout.
Across the Iranian diaspora, calls grew for American military strikes on Iran.
Reactions
Notable figures in the Iranian diaspora voiced their reactions and opinions to the protests in Iran.Reza Pahlavi, son of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, expressed his support for the protesters, and called on all Iranians, including security and law enforcement forces, to join the protests. Pahlavi further added that Iranians are at war with the Islamic regime. Pahlavi has designated February 14, 2026 as a "global day of action", calling for massive rallies worldwide, listing six demands for the international community to call for.
Maryam Rajavi, co-leader of the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran said that protesters have "struck fear into a weakened enemy", warning security forces who obey orders to crackdown on the protests that "the courts of a free Iran are awaiting."
Gissou Nia, a human rights lawyer and Iran expert, stated that while the economic crisis was the catalyst for the protest, the slogans and behaviour of the protesters show a profound dissatisfaction with the Iranian government and a desire to overthrow it.
Iranian dissident and Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi condemned Iranian security forces for directly shooting unarmed protesters in Fasa, calling it a human rights violation. In a message shared on Instagram, Ebadi stressed that using live ammunition against unarmed civilians cannot be justified. She urged authorities to immediately stop the violence, ensure proper medical care for those injured, and investigate who authorised the use of live fire against protesters in Fasa. During the 2026 Internet blackout in Iran, she claimed the Iranian government may carry out a massacre under cover of a sweeping communications blackout, encouraging Western governments to speak out immediately.
Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American journalist and human rights activist, stated that President Donald Trump's message to Iran gave people a "strong message" of hope, and that he is on the right side of history.
Violence towards diaspora protesters
As the Iranian diaspora held solidarity rallies worldwide, reports of violence and threats towards them emerged. Deutsche Welle reported that Iranian exiles were being targeted internationally by the Iranian government's secret services.During a solidarity rally on 11 January 2026 in Los Angeles, a U-Haul truck was used to ram into protesters, injuring two people. Many Iranians on social media pointed out that the messaging on the side of the truck was commonly associated with supporters of the Islamist-Marxist organization, People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran. Authorities stated the 48-year-old driver, Calor Madanescht, deliberately drove the truck into the protest area, yet he was released the following day without bail.
During the 16 January protests in London, violent clashes ensued, resulting in several protesters being injured and hospitalised, four Metropolitan Police officers being hospitalised, and 14 arrests for offences including violent disorder, assault of an emergency worker, criminal damage, and trespass on diplomatic premises.
After the 17 January protests in Hamburg, two protesters were seriously injured after a stabbing attack, including one critically, leading to three suspects being arrested. The suspects were reportedly Afghan nationals, and authorities stated the attack was premeditated.
Iranians abroad were also the targets of online cybersecurity threats and phishing scams at the time of the protests amid the domestic internet blackout.
On 21 January, it was reported that Turkey, which does not require visas for Iranian citizens, had struck an agreement with the Islamic Republic to arrest and potentially return protesters and refugees who challenge the Iranian government. In cooperation with Erdoğan's government, the Islamic Republic has in the past abducted several of its opponents from Turkey and later executed them in Iran.
On 24 January, The Telegraph reported that Iranian dissidents in the United Kingdom were receiving death threats via phone calls and messages from Islamic Republic supporters, threatening to kill them in the UK.
On 25 January, Iranian protesters in Gothenburg were reportedly attacked by pro-Palestinian protesters.
On 27 January, it was reported that Germany's federal interior ministry had warned members of the Iranian diaspora in Germany of intimidation, harassment, and possible cyber attacks by Iranian state actors.