UK police arrest protester who raised shah-era flag over Iran’s London embassy
Footage shows man replacing Islamic Republic banner with pre-revolution tri-color; police say several others also arrested after objects were thrown at officers at protest
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LONDON — A protester who climbed onto the roof of Iran’s embassy in London and removed a flag was arrested with several others, police said late on Friday, adding multiple officers were injured in the demonstrations.
“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,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Several officers have suffered injuries,” the UK capital’s police added, saying in the “ongoing disorder” objects had been thrown at officers and “a number of people have been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder.”
London police said last week they were deploying additional officers to “prevent any disorder” and protect the Iranian embassy.
On Saturday last week, a protester briefly replaced the embassy’s flag with a former flag flown before Iran’s Islamic revolution in 1979.
The old tri-colored flag with a lion and sun — used in Iran before the Islamic Revolution — stayed in place for several minutes before being removed, witnesses on site told AFP.
???? JUST IN: A protester climbed onto Iran’s Embassy in London, tore down the Islamic Republic flag, and raised the Lion & Sun opposition flag as the moment went viral.pic.twitter.com/LgCI7nlm9C
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) January 10, 2026
Iran has seen its largest demonstrations in years in the past few weeks, challenging the country’s theocratic system in protests that have killed thousands but subsided in recent days, according to monitors.
Demonstrations sparked by economic grievances began with a shutdown in the Tehran bazaar on December 28 but turned into a mass movement demanding the removal of the clerical system that has ruled Iran since the 1979 revolution.
The Times of Israel Community.