Pro-democracy demonstrators clashed with police outside the Iranian embassy in London during a protest that saw multiple arrests and injuries to officers.
The Metropolitan Police issued a legal dispersal order requiring protesters to leave the area after attempts were made to remove the current regime’s flag from the embassy and replace it with the pre-1979 national colours used before the Islamic Revolution.
According to the Metropolitan Police, a demonstrator unlawfully accessed private property during the protest, climbing across several balconies to reach the roof of the embassy where he removed a flag. He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, trespass on diplomatic premises and assaulting police.
Disorder and Arrests
A number of protesters were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder, police confirmed. Officers reported that a section 35 dispersal order was imposed in response to continued disorder, which included missiles being thrown at officers.
The Metropolitan Police stated that several officers sustained injuries during the incident. Some protesters also appeared to have been injured during confrontations with officers outside the building.
Allegations of Excessive Force
One attendee at the protest alleged that police had used excessive force. “The armed police, they are hitting everyone here, women, men, children. Everyone,” the individual said.
Focus of Demonstration
The protest centred on opposition to Iran’s ruling regime and support for democracy. Demonstrators’ attempts to fly the pre-revolution Iranian flag in place of the current one symbolised their stance against the government that came to power following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
