Iran supporters attack anti-regime protesters in embassy brawl
Anti-Iranian regime protesters were attacked outside the country's embassy in London on Friday.
The demonstrators were targeted by backers of the Iranian regime, the Telegraph understands.
The Metropolitan Police said that seven men have been arrested following the incident, and that two men were hospitalised.
The attack took place during an anti-regime protest outside the embassy, which is situated opposite Hyde Park. Witnesses told how men were seen lying on the floor bleeding and receiving treatment from paramedics, while others were arrested.
Iran's leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has spent decades consolidating his power by suppressing opposition and has transformed the country into a cleric-dominated, anti-Western and anti-Israel Islamic republic.
The regime is now locked in an ongoing and escalating war with Israel, which opposition groups hope could trigger the authoritarian regime to topple.
Credit: X
On Friday, protesters could also be seen flying an array of flags in support of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, including the pre-1979 Islamist revolution national flag.
The 1979 Iranian Revolution was a period of widespread protests that eventually led to the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty.
Its supporters in the diaspora continue to advocate for the restoration of the monarchy in lieu of current leadership in Tehran.
Four Israel flags were also being flown by the encampment on Friday – though it is understood the incident is not linked to Israel.
Videos circulating on social media also show the protestors calling for an end to the Iranian regime.
Jeremy Selwyn, a 62-year-old freelance photographer, witnessed the incident and said that one of the men was 'very seriously injured'.
He said: 'I saw two chaps on the floor getting treatment from paramedics.
'One appeared to have very serious facial injuries and looked as if he had been hit around the head.
'The police turned up en masse. There must have been around 40 police officers and they arrested six men.
'It was a gang of men that were arrested. They knew what they were doing.'
He added that he spoke to another witness who said that 'there are always protestors' outside the embassy, but that 'recently gangs of men, presumably Iranian, come to harass them but today it was more than harassment. I think it became a bit of a brawl'.
The Iranian embassy in London has become a focal point for various protests regarding incidents of global interest, most notably in 2022, following the death of Mahsa Amini. She was detained by the Iranian morality police accused of violating the law requiring women to cover their body with loose clothing and to cover their hair with a hijab.
Her death sparked global protests and the embassy was the site of clashes with police as the crowd threw missiles at officers, seriously injuring at least five of them, and prompting the arrest of 12 protestors.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'Officers are on scene in Princes Gate, SW1 following an altercation during a protest.
'They were called to the location at 09:53hrs on Friday, 20 June. Conditions have since been put in place to prevent serious disorder. This stops protestors from gathering in the area until 13:00hrs on Sunday, 22 June.
'One man has been taken into police custody after he was arrested on suspicion of breaching the above conditions.'
'Seven other men remain in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm. The two men treated at the scene by the London Ambulance Service are in hospital. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.'
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson added: 'We were called at 9.56am today (20 June) to reports of an assault in Princes Gate, SW7.
'We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, paramedics in fast response cars and our Tactical Response Unit.
'We treated two patients at the scene and took one to hospital and one to a major trauma centre.'
The attack comes amid the ongoing and escalating war between Israel and Iran as the countries continue to launch missile strikes. Donald Trump, the US president, said that he would decide in the next fortnight whether or not his country would intervene in the conflict.
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