Protester puts pre-Islamic revolution Iran flag on London embassy

Summary

• A protester replaced Iran's embassy flag in London with the pre-1979 flag amid cheers from demonstrators chanting slogans like "Democracy for Iran."
• Demonstrators protested against the current Iranian regime, citing internet shutdowns and violence against protesters in Iran, where protests began on Dec 28.
• Police arrested two people for aggravated trespass and assault and deployed additional officers to protect the embassy after the flag incident.

LONDON – A protester briefly replaced the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran at its London embassy with a former flag, flown before 1979, during a demonstration on Jan 10, witnesses told AFP.

A video posted to social media shows a man on the balcony of the embassy, near Hyde Park, replacing the country’s current flag with one used during the rule of the ousted shah, drawing cheers from hundreds of demonstrators below.

The flag – a tri-coloured one with a lion and sun, surrounded by a wreath and crown – was a ceremonial one used in Iran before the Islamic Revolution.

It stayed in place for several minutes before being removed, witnesses at the scene said.

“Democracy for Iran. Shah Reza Pahlavi. Justice for Iran,” chanted the demonstrators, referring to the son of the late shah of Iran who now lives in the US. Some also held placards reading “Free Iran”.

“I’m here to support Iranians, my loved ones inside Iran – they’ve been protesting for two weeks today,” said one demonstrator, Ms Taraneh, 33, who declined to give her last name.

“The internet has been shut down... We get very little information from inside Iran,” she added.

“But, you know, people are still in the streets. They’re being attacked. The Islamic Republic is murdering people,” she said. “I want this regime to go. I just want to be able to go back.”

The London police said in an online post that after the flag incident, “additional officers are being deployed to prevent any disorder” and to protect the Iranian embassy.

They said they had arrested two people, “one for aggravated trespass and assault on an emergency worker and one for aggravated trespass”, and they were seeking another individual for “trespass”.

Iran has been roiled since Dec 28 by street protests, which have since taken hold nationwide.

Initially triggered by a devaluation of the country’s currency and growing concerns over the cost of living, the protests have since spiralled into mass demonstrations calling for an end to the Islamic Republic.

The Iranian authorities have cut off internet access in the country, and non-governmental organisations (NGO) and monitoring organisations say they fear that the blackout will be used to crack down on the protesters.

At least 51 people have been killed so far, including nine children, with hundreds wounded, according to the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights. AFP