Flashpoint London
Violent protests over death of young woman held in Tehran spread to Iranian embassy in Knightsbridge
PROTESTERS tried to storm the Iranian embassy in London last night amid rising fury at the death of a young woman in Tehran.
Riot police clashed with hundreds of demonstrators as rocks and chairs were hurled at the Knightsbridge building.
Footage taken from outside the embassy showed men and women fighting with police as officers swung their batons and, on one case, tackled a man to the ground.
In another violent clip, a man accused of being ‘pro-regime’ was punched and hit with a bottle by the crowd as outnumbered officers ran for cover.
The protest at the embassy then moved to the regime-controlled Islamic Centre of England in Maida Vale – where one man scaled one of the mosque’s towers and unfurled Iran’s former national flag from before 1979 as the mob chanted ‘death to the Islamic Republic’. The protests were the latest in a string that broke out around the world following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in Tehran.
The 22-year-old Kurdish woman was detained by Iran’s morality police who apparently deemed that she was wearing her hijab too loosely. London protester Camilla Kay, 27, said: ‘I love my religion but this regime in Iran is not Islam – they have taken it to the next level.’
Scotland Yard said five people were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder offences, adding that several police officers were hurt during the protests.
Meanwhile, other solidarity protests in Europe also turned ugly. In Paris, demonstrators fought riot squads who used tear gas to try to control them. Protests in cities including Berlin, Brussels, Istanbul, Madrid and New York also took place.
Miss Amini’s death has re-ignited anger in Iran over issues including restrictions on personal freedoms and strict dress codes for women.
Women have played a prominent role in the protests, with some burning their headscarves while others have publicly cut their hair as furious crowds called for the downfall of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The protests are the largest to sweep the country since demonstrations over fuel prices in 2019.
Protests over Miss Amini’s death have spread across at least 46 cities, towns and villages in Iran.
State TV suggested on Saturday that 41 protesters and police have been killed since the unrest erupted on September 16. It said official statistics would be released by the interior ministry.
Hardline president Ebrahim Raisi warned of the need to ‘deal decisively with those who oppose the country’s tranquillity’.
Iranian police said Miss Amini died of a heart attack and was not mistreated, but her family has cast doubt on these claims.
Iran’s foreign ministry said it summoned Simon Shercliff, UK ambassador to Iran, over the UK’s hosting of Farsi-language media outlets critical of the country’s response to the disorder.
‘They’ve taken it to the next level’