Worshippers at an Iranian mosque in London were attacked by anti-regime protesters on Saturday, as large crowds of dissidents ran amok outside Iran’s embassy, calling on the West to attack Tehran.
The incident occurred outside the Islamic Centre of England in Maida Vale when a group of around 30 anti-regime protesters began harassing religious Iranians outside the front gate.
Footage of the incident shown to 5Pillars shows a minor scuffle between rival groups at the gate as the Islamic Centre was forced to temporarily close.
Speaking to 5Pillars, Hassan al-Qadri, who was at the centre at the time of the incident, claimed he was one of several assaulted by the protesters and that the centre had children inside at the time.
“I was at the Islamic Centre when I saw just one of them standing with an Israeli flag and the old Iranian Shah flag protesting. Then, within minutes another 10 to 15 cars pulled up outside. Many more got out and begin walking towards the Islamic Centre. I begin to tell them that there are kids inside and please don’t come close to the building but they swore at me and told me they don’t care.
“So that’s when I told them that I will not allow them to get past me or past the gates. Then 20 to 30 of them surround me, one of them tries to climb the fence so I drag him off while others are kicking me. They all begin to attack me but I was able to fight most of them off. Every Saturday there are children’s classes at the centre and there were many young kids inside at the time of the attack. They knew this but didn’t care.”
Al-Qadri also told 5Pillars that he witnessed another worshipper dragged to the floor and kicked in the head. He also alleged that some of the protesters wielded sticks and polls but 5Pillars was not able to verify these claims.
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The protesters can be seen in the footage waving Israeli and Lion and Sun (Pahlavi) flags. The Pahlavi flag belongs to the former regime headed by Shah Reza Pahlavi who ruled over Iran as a king prior to the 1979 Iranian revolution which established the Islamic Republic of Iran, as it is known today.
5Pillars reached out to the Islamic Centre of England for a statement but there was no one available to comment at this time. A receptionist warned that they expected another larger protest outside the centre on Sunday, a protest which he described as an “anti-Islam demonstration.”
The incident outside the Iranian mosque came as large groups of Iranian dissidents gathered in London and Manchester to protest against Iran and demand regime change.
A crowd of several thousand rallied outside the Iranian Embassy in London, chanting anti-regime slogans including: “Death to the dictator” and “down down Islamic Republic.”
One protester was filmed scaling the wall of the embassy and ripping down the flag of I.R. Iran and replacing it with the Pahlavi flag.
Ongoing unrest
The demonstrations in the UK come following days of violent unrest across Iran as large groups of anti-regime protesters rampage in towns and cities across the country.
The protests originally remained peaceful as local Iranians expressed frustration over economic issues plaguing the heavily sanctioned country, however, groups of agitators appear to have hijacked the protests turning them violent.
The rioters have attacked government buildings burned cars and reportedly attacked religious buildings too including mosques.
U.S. President Donald Trump has issued several threats following the start of the violence, warning that the U.S. may intervene to “help” the protesters.
On Saturday, Trump posted a statement on Truth Social: “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help.”
Iran has responded angrily, warning that any interference or attack from the USA or Israel would be met with a heavy response.
Iran has warned against any attempt by the U.S. to interfere. The country’s security chief, Ali Larijani, who warned on his X account that any U.S. interference in Iran’s internal matters would lead to the destabilisation of the entire region.
“The Iranian people know the American idea of ‘rescue’ all too well — from Iraq and Afghanistan to Gaza. Any interventionist hand approaching Iran’s security under false pretexts will be cut off before arrival, with a regret-inducing response. Iran’s national security is a red line, not a playground for reckless tweets.”
On Friday, the leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a stark warning to the rioters that they will face harsh punishments if they continue attacking the state on behalf of Western powers.
According to Iranian reports, security forces have begun arresting significant numbers of protest leaders who played a role in inciting violence. Iran also claims that these riots are the result of agitators who work for Mossad and Wester intelligence agencies.
There has also been a significant turnout at pro-regime rallies stage in Tehran and elsewhere in the country as a sizeable number of local Iranians express condemnation of Western aggression and reject the violence by recent rioters.
