By Gloria Ogbonna
During a large demonstration on Saturday outside the Iranian Embassy in London, a protester made a dramatic and symbolic gesture by removing the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran and briefly replacing it with the historic flag that flew before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, witnesses and media reports say.
Video shared widely on social media captured the moment a man climbed onto the embassy’s balcony, located near Hyde Park, and took down the current official flag.
He then unfurled the pre-1979 tri-colored flag adorned with a lion and sun a banner associated with Iran’s former monarchy and increasingly used by opposition groups rallying against Iran’s clerical rulers. The crowd of hundreds of demonstrators below erupted in applause and cheers at the sight.
The historic flag, featuring green, white, and red stripes with a lion holding a sword in front of a radiant sun, was once the ceremonial national standard of Iran before the revolution that brought the Islamic Republic to power.
It remained displayed on the embassy for several minutes before being taken down and replaced once again with the official flag, witnesses reported.
Chants from the crowd captured the political intensity of the moment. Demonstrators shouted slogans such as “Democracy for Iran,” “Shah Reza Pahlavi,” and “Justice for Iran,” invoking the name of the son of the late Shah, who now lives in the United States and has become a focal point for parts of the opposition movement. Many in the crowd also waved placards declaring “Free Iran.”
One protester, a 33-year-old woman named Taraneh who did not provide her surname, told reporters she had joined the London rally to stand in solidarity with family members still in Iran. She said the demonstrations inside Iran then in their second week were being met with brutal repression, and that internet shutdowns imposed by Iranian authorities made it difficult to receive accurate information from inside the country.
“People are still in the streets. They’re being attacked. The Islamic Republic is murdering people,” she said, adding that she wanted the current regime to fall and to be able to return home safely.
In response to the flag incident and the overall demonstration, London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed that additional officers were deployed to maintain order and to protect the embassy.
Police also reported two arrests at the scene one for aggravated trespass and assault on an emergency worker, and another for aggravated trespass with authorities seeking a third individual for trespass.
The London protest was part of a broader wave of unrest and international solidarity actions connected to mass demonstrations across Iran, which began in late December over economic issues such as currency devaluation and high living costs.
Those protests have since expanded into nationwide calls for political change and an end to the Islamic Republic, drawing significant attention and concern from global human rights groups and foreign governments.
The symbolic raising of the pre-revolution flag at a diplomatic mission underscores the intensity and global reach of the opposition movement, and reflects the deep historical and political significance that the Lion and Sun flag has taken on in recent weeks as a symbol of resistance against Iran’s current leadership.
Source Breitbart
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