LI Rally For Iranian Women: Hundreds Gather In Solidarity

GREAT NECK, NY—On Sunday, a crowd of more than 100 people gathered at Village Green Park in Great Neck to show support for the ongoing protests happening in Iran. The Iranian protests, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini at the hands of the country's morality police, have inspired rallies and acts of solidarity across the globe, according to news reports.

Great Neck's rally was attended by many Persian-Americans who live in Great Neck, some who themselves fled a repressive Iranian regime. At Sunday's event was Nassau County Legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip. Pilip is a refugee who escaped religious persecution in Ethiopia at age 13.

Pilip told the Long Island Press that the many young people in attendance at the Great Neck rally are passionate about human rights.

“My parents’ generation, they didn’t know what freedom is. It was something you couldn’t even dream or think about. But this generation knows their rights, and they’ll stand up for those who don’t have those rights.”

The Great Neck rally attendees echoed the chants now being repeated around the world: "Women, life, freedom," and "Say her name, Mahsa Amini."

Since Amini's death on Sept. 16, an estimated 201 protesters have been killed across Iran, Reuters reports. Of those, 23 were under age 18.

Many in the Great Neck crowd on Sunday were also teenagers. Emanuel Aziz is a student at Great Neck North High School. He shared his support of the Iranian protesters with CBS2 News: "Each and every one of them are some brave souls there, just doing what's right,"

Another local student, Yasmin Setarah, told CBS2 that he had relatives still living under the religious regime. Iran is one of only two nations to have mandatory hijab hair covering laws for women.

"The fact that they killed her because her hair was out, it's a very emotional time," Satarah told CBS2.