Leftist demonstrators chant 'victory to Iran' at march through London

Leftist demonstrators chant 'victory to Iran' at march through London
Source: Daily Mail Online

Thousands of pro-Iranian protestors have marched on the US Embassy in London calling for an end to US and Israeli strikes in the region.

There was a dramatic confrontation when a counter-demonstrator chanted 'terrorist supporters and communist scum off our streets' as the anti-war march made its way through central London.

It comes on the eighth day of the conflict in the Middle East, which today saw Tehran strike Dubai airport and intense Iranian fire target the Gulf Arab states, as the US President Donald Trump promised it would hit Iran 'very hard'.

Police had to intervene to defuse a confrontation after a single counter protestor heckled the crowd passing Lambeth Bridge.

The man, wearing a Union Jack flag around his shoulders, was verbally abused, shouted at and filmed by those gathered.

The Metropolitan Police estimated that almost 4,000 people took part in the march through Westminster to the American embassy near Battersea Power Station.

Some are chanting 'victory to Iran' - despite the regime being responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of its own people.

Police did not intervene as protestors chanted vile slogans including 'death, death to the IDF' and 'victory to Iran'.

Protestors were seen carrying the flags of Iran, alongside Palestinian and Lebanese flags.

The pro-Iranian regime protestors gathered outside the US embassy in London, with some chanting 'victory to Iran' and 'death, death to the IDF'

Placards displayed pictures of the now dead Ayatollah, as well as flags of Iran, Lebanon and Palestine

The Stop the War coalition was out, protesting against US and Israeli involvement in the ongoing conflict with Iran

One demonstrator was seen holding a picture of the US President on fire, as well as making an apparent reference to an antisemitic conspiracy

Police had to intervene to defuse a confrontation after a single counter protestor heckled the crowd in a Union Jack flag

Another held aloft an image of the now dead Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei - a regime leader who killed thousands of his own Iranians earlier this year

The anti-war protestors were based outside Westminster, where they held stalls and waved banners declaiming the Middle East conflict as 'Trump's wars'

The groups criticising the US, UK and Israeli governments are marching from Millbank to the United States embassy calling for an end to the attacks on Iran.

It comes after Iranian-backed Islamist militants in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, were struck by Israel this week.

Other controversial symbols, including the hammer and sickle were also spotted in the crowd.

Placards criticising the US and UK governments were also on display, with one sign praising the Iranian government for 'fighting the Epstein regime' - an apparent reference to the antisemitic conspiracy that the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was an Israeli spy.

The protestors could be heard chanting 'stop the bombing now, now, now' and 'hands off Iran'.

Action groups including the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Stop The War, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Muslim Association Of Britain, Palestinian Forum in Britain and Friends Of Al-Aqsa are leading the demo.

But counter-protestors are also on the march in London today, including Stage for Freedom, who are calling for the end of the regime.

The Metropolitan Police has imposed conditions requiring protesters to stay on designated routes and finish their post-march rallies by 5pm.

The Stage for Freedom demonstration against the Iranian government is marching from Whitehall to Kensington Road near Hyde Park in Knightsbridge, close to where the nation's embassy is situated, this afternoon.

The Middle East has been plunged into chaos after a joint US and Israeli strike on Iran killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.

In the days since, Tehran and its allies have retaliated across the region, targeting Israel, US bases in neighbouring Gulf states and sites critical to global oil and gas production.

In Bristol, similar protests were held this afternoon, with footage shared on social media showing tense confrontations between pro-Iranian protestors and anti-Iranian regime protestors, as well as the presence of mounted police.

Hundreds of people in Bristol took part in a pre-planned march and could be heard chanting 'off our streets, off our streets', as some struggled with police who were grappling to get the scene under control.

Local police said in a statement: 'Officers are in Bristol city centre today as part of a policing operation in response to a protest and counter-protest.
'Two groups have gathered at the Cenotaph, St Augustine's Parade, and officers are on the scene. There are no road closures in place. Updates to come.'

At 1.53pm, Bristol police reported officers 'faced resistance' while facilitating the protest in the city centre, and were using 'dispersal tactics' to keep both sides of the demonstration separate.

There was a standoff at Union Street as Bristol police formed a human wall when the two rival groups faced each other.

Many marked vans and mounted officers blocked the route for about half an hour this afternoon as another march led by a group called 'Bristol Patriots' was challenged by hundreds of counter-protesters organised by a coalition of anti-fascism and anti-racist groups.

The march came to a halt near Broadmead Tesco at about 12.40pm, causing gridlock for drivers and buses trying to make their way around the city centre.

Avon and Somerset Police enacted special powers to disperse the crowds and ordered people to remove face coverings.

They added that officers are being deployed to 'enable a peaceful protest and to ensure the safety of all in attendance and the general public.'