Twelve Arrested at London Protests After Death of Mahsa Amini in Iran – Numerous people gathered to demand the overthrow of the Islamic republic, some of whom got into fights with officers and other protesters. Following the death of a 22-year-old woman, 12 individuals have been detained during protests in London calling for the overthrow of Iran’s Islamic republic, including those outside the country’s UK embassy.
A barrier of police officers had been set up in front of the embassy in Princes Gate, Knightsbridge, and angry protesters could be seen pushing and yelling at them. The former national flag of Iran from before 1979, when the Shah of Iran was toppled in a revolution by religious hardliners, was waved by the crowds as they screamed, “Death to the Islamic republic.” On Saturday, several hundred people gathered in Trafalgar Square for a protest.
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The demonstration, which coincided with others in Iranian cities, was in response to the death in detention of Mahsa Amini, 22, who had been detained by the country’s morality police. Other protests have occurred all around Europe, including in Paris, where protesters were attacked with tear gas as they approached the French embassy. One sign in London included an image of Amini, while another urged people to “Stop execution in Iran.”
A protester who had broken past the police line was wrestled to the ground by two cops, as seen in footage posted on social media of the incident. Several Metropolitan police officers were hurt during the protests, including several who broke bones, according to Scotland Yard, but no one is thought to have been badly hurt.
About a mile distant from the embassy across Hyde Park, riot police could be seen attempting to disperse demonstrators from the road near Marble Arch. “A significant policing presence will remain in and around the area to monitor the situation,” the Met said.
By 7.30 p.m., the crowd had dispersed from the area outside the embassy, but a few officers were still stationed there. Some of the protesters, who had been outside the embassy earlier in the day, stood in front of riot police who had roped off Kilburn Road in north-west London, close to the Islamic Centre of England, where masses had earlier assembled.
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People created peace signs while chanting together. Behind the lines of riot police could be seen mounted police, and a man was restrained by a police van. Later, a dispersion order was issued. The force stated that twelve people were arrested at the protests in Maida Vale and Knightsbridge on suspicion of disorderly conduct violations.
