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After fleeing Iran’s regime and surviving a sinking boat, Arya now defends the Australian flag, saying it symbolises the freedom that saved his life.

Arya fled the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) regime as a refugee via a fishing boat and almost lost his life at sea on his way to Australia.

“They bothered my family. All my family is in Tehran. Even though I escaped, I feel unsafe from the IRGC,” he told The Daily Declaration.

Iranian democracy advocate Arya had to be detained for his safety for waving an Australian flag outside a pro-Palestine rally at Flinders St on 14 February. Picture: Instagram.

That is why anyone who defaces our national flag angers him.

This happened to the 36-year-old at Flinders Street on 14 February, when pro-Palestine rallygoers protesting the arrival of Israeli President Isaac Herzog took exception to him walking near their protest, displaying his Australian flag.

Arya was accused of racial incitement by rally goers and detained by Victoria Police for his safety, with the Iranian democracy advocate defending the first responders who protected him.

Earlier, his flag was ripped while displaying it.

“I was detained for maybe ten minutes. The police were nice to me,” he told The Daily Declaration.

“Some Australian patriots saw me and came up to the police, saying, ‘What are you doing, guys? He’s not a criminal.’

“And the police left me alone.

“When we went to their office, the officer was nice to me. If the police weren’t there protecting me, I might not be here today.”

Don’t Burn the Flag

Arya arrived in Australia in 2013 when he was first detained at Christmas Island.

He spent a total of two years in detention, but has nothing but love towards Australia because it gave him his freedom, and as a result, he cherishes the Union Jack and Southern Cross.

“I spent two years in immigration detention centres. But I don’t blame them because that had to be done,” he said.

“That’s because (the Australian government) doesn’t know their backgrounds. And in those two years, they can be monitored, and they will show up if they have criminal records.

“It has to be this way.”

Our beloved Australian flag has also been burnt by demonstrators at recent pro-Palestine rallies in Melbourne, which Arya wants to see stopped under the new hate speech laws brought in by the Albanese government.

“To be honest, I got really annoyed (when my flag was ripped). I came by boat to Australia. Australia gave me a scholarship at university,” he said.

“Australia helped me to find a job. I had my own business, and I ran away from my country.

“Australians have supported and accepted me. This country has looked after me more than my country and the IRGC.

“And when the Australian flag is burning, it makes me sad. This flag means freedom for me.

“If you want to protest, protest. But don’t burn the Australian flag. I don’t hate any religion. I respect all nationalities.

“But I want to preserve Australian culture. I won’t let them deface our flag.”

A Perilous Escape from Iran

As a young adult, Arya lived a good life back in Tehran.

He maintains he had no choice but to leave that life behind and hope he could make it to Australia alive as a refugee back in 2013.

“When I was 21 in Iran, I had a very good business mind. I was a regional sales manager in Iran back then,” he said, fighting back tears.

“My sales target was almost $1 million US per week. Financially, I had no problems at that time.

“But because of the IRGC, I had to put my life at risk to come to Australia by boat.

“You don’t know how hard it was for me to leave my family and friends in Iran.”

Arya – who is now an Australian citizen – still doesn’t know how he survived his arduous journey on a fishing boat to Australia as a refugee almost 13 years ago.

“We were passing away. My life is a miracle. I’m not religious, but I thank God that I’m alive,” he said.

“I left in May 2013. On my birthday, 30 May, I was on the boat. And then our boat sank at Kupang – the other side of Papua New Guinea in Indonesia. I was there for three months.

“When Tony Abbott came to power, I became a refugee. I arrived in Australia on 13 August 2013.

“There was a crew of three on our boat. When we reached the last island, they swam to it.

“We got struck by a rock under the boat, and the boat was stuck. We couldn’t continue.

“I swam from there to the beach nearly one kilometre. I’m really sorry if I came illegally to your country.”

The stress and malnourishment from the trip almost killed him, too.

“When I arrived because of the stress on the way and the things I experienced in Iran, I was diagnosed with lupus, an auto-immune disease,” he said.

“And then I was at Christmas Island for three months. I didn’t have access to a specialist.

“Three months I was there, I was almost dead. And one day, I fainted because 12 litres of liquid were in my body after kidney failure due to the illness.

“If I lay down, that liquid would come up to my eyes. If I stood up, it went to my legs. I was at Christmas Island from August to December with that situation.

“Then they transferred me from Christmas Island to Fremantle Hospital. I was at Fremantle Hospital for a month.

“After two months, my kidneys got better, and I went back to the detention centre again.”

Arya said this illness “ruined my life completely”.

“The side effects affected all my joints. I got serious arthritis in all my joints. I had two hip replacements and a shoulder replacement. That’s why I appreciate this country,” he said.

Warning Bells

Arya cautioned that a rise in antisemitic and anti-Australian sentiment seen at pro-Palestine rallies could lead to another devastating terrorism event like the Bondi massacre on 14 December last year.

That was when 15 people were gunned down in an Islamic State-inspired attack during a celebration of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

“The Sydney pro-Palestine rally in August, they marched over the Harbour Bridge. There were about 100,000 people there,” he said.

“They held up posters of the Iranian Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Khamenei). That means I believe he has networks here.

“When I saw that protest in Sydney, I knew something bad was going to happen.

“If we don’t stop it, it’ll happen again. I don’t want them to come to Australia. I want Melbourne like it used to be.

“I love Melbourne, and all the suburbs and restaurants. But I want the previous Melbourne. I don’t want Hamas influencing our kids.”

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Featured image: Arya marched alongside Iranian pro-democracy advocates outside Victorian Parliament House on 8 February. Picture: Josh Spasaro.