Protests outside Iran’s London embassy turned violent, leading to several arrests and injuries, including hurt police officers.
Police and protesters clashed outside the diplomatic mission yesterday, with officers dodging missiles thrown at them.
Four people were taken to the hospital after the emergency services were alerted to the incident in South Kensington at 8.45pm, the London Ambulance Service said.
Footage on social media shows demonstrators being arrested and others with injuries, with several officers wrestling a person down on the grassy verge.
One protester had climbed the embassy building and removed the Iranian flag before being arrested. The flag was previously torn down a week ago in a similar incident.
A further 13 arrests were made for a spate of offences, including violent disorder, assault of an emergency worker and criminal damage.
The Met Police said: ‘During the ongoing protest at the Iranian Embassy this evening, a protester illegally accessed private property and climbed across multiple balconies onto the roof of the Embassy and removed a flag.
‘He has since been arrested by officers on suspicion of criminal damage, trespass on diplomatic property and assaulting police. A section 35 order has been imposed as a result of ongoing disorder, including missiles being thrown at officers. Several officers have suffered injuries.’
The force said later that ‘a number of people have been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder.’
It comes after weeks of anti-regime protests across Iran sparked by rampant inflation and a deep cost of living crisis in the country.
Donald Trump threatened Iran with action as the death toll was mounting after the regime’s crackdown against the demonstrators.
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He said he was considering possible military action before the tensions appeared to ease, with no major protests reported in Tehran or other cities in the last couple of days.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lashed out at Trump today, blaming him for the ‘casualties and damages’ caused by the unrest.
More than 3,000 people have been killed in the protests while thousands have been arrested, according to US-based human rights groups.
The Iranian regime moved quickly to block Internet access when the protests started, leaving only some connection through the Starlink satellite. Monitor groups said they’ve noticed a ‘very slight rise’ in connectivity today.
The country’s theocratic government came under pressure after a 26-year-old shopkeeper, Erfan Soltan,i was detained and faced execution.
After days of uncertainty for his family, Iranian officials appeared to backtrack on the death penalty, with the state-controlled media saying his charge did not carry a capital punishment.
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