Eyewitness: London protests converge on the Iranian embassy once again

Chris Hobbs attends more protests by Iranians, Kurds and anti racists.

Two weeks ago, a large Iranian rally in Whitehall took place on the same afternoon as a sizeable Kurdish march with both due to end in Whitehall. On their arrival at the top of Whitehall, hundreds of Kurdish youths suddenly charged towards the Iranian gathering and were frustrated by the rapid deployment of TSG officers.

A week ago, a similar scenario took place, but on this occasion, the Kurds had to finish in Trafalgar Square while the Iranians remained in Whitehall by Downing Street. There were no incidents at this location but the two sides clashed outside the Iranian Embassy and several arrests were made.

During the weekend just gone, the scenario was almost identical: The Kurds were to march from the BBC to Trafalgar Square while the Iranians were to hold a rally by Downing Street.

Police were clearly prepared for potential disorder although officers were not ‘kitted.’ Those officers and observers were, however, surprised by the low turnout of around 500 Kurds. There was a loud system accompanying the march which began with speeches. The march itself was uneventful as was the dispersal in Trafalgar Square.

Frenetic activity in Whitehall

The pro-Shah Iranian protest, in marked contrast, saw a sizeable turnout in the vicinity of Downing Street complete with a sound system and a stage but they were not alone. The area in front of the Ministry of Defence by the Montgomery statue was occupied by a protest linked to Pakistan and the imprisonment of former Prime Minister and Pakistan cricket captain, Imran Khan. This was one of a number of pro-Khan protests held at various venues around the world.

The Khan protest soldiered valiantly on in competition with the louder Iran event which began in earnest with the playing of both the UK and Iranian national anthems. Several speeches followed in both Farsi and English but the event seemed to run out of speakers and morphed into a chant fest. During this period a small group of forlorn looking Ukrainians were setting up for their weekly protest which used to attract hundreds.

Whilst Whitehall was the centre of frenetic protest activity, the Kurds quickly concluded their event in Trafalgar Square and several walked down Whitehall presumably to Westminster Station. Interestingly, rather like football fans entering the territory of their rivals, flags and scarfs were removed and hidden.

The Iranians march

Those participating in the Iranian rally were due, at 4PM, to march via Victoria and Hyde Park corner, to the Iranian Embassy. The march was delayed by the organisers to 4.30PM and during this interval two males, one a steward, were escorted away by officers and subjected to a stop and search. At the newly appointed time, the crowd slowly moved off escorted by police officers. It took almost two hours for the march to reach the Embassy and during that time I enjoyed several friendly conversations with activists who were keen to ensure that I understood their cause.

As the marchers reached the Embassy, they were greeted by hundreds of fellow flag waving protesters together with police officers who were deployed behind a double row of steel barriers that would have been difficult for protesters to break through had they been so inclined. The sight of protesters walking along the street past the Embassy was an impressive one; there was some milling around and chanting and then officers quietly moved amongst the crowd advising them that protest conditions meant they had to leave.

Disorder and ludicrous comparisons

Gaps appeared in the road remarkably quickly as protesters left without demur, however events took an unpleasant turn as officers made an arrest in the park opposite the Embassy. The individual being arrested struggled violently with officers and others joined in jostling and shouting which in turn had more officers rushing to the scene. Once again there were ludicrous comparisons from some, with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards who had massacred thousands. There has been no public comment by the Met in relation to Sunday’s protests however it was clear that it was a ‘resource intensive’ policing operation and that the overwhelming majority of those participating were well behaved.

Saturday’s events

The previous day saw Advance UK hold a rally at the cavernous Emmanuel Centre where future policies would be revealed. That Tommy Robinson would be attending was well publicised and there was an inevitable anti-racist protest opposite the front entrance by activists whose numbers grew to around 60. The low numbers were due to the fact that on the same morning there was an anti-racist march and rally in north London which, with others across the country, was a prelude to a major national anti-racist demonstration in London on March the 28th.

Those waiting outside to undertake security checks within the hall were subjected to chants from those on opposite side of the road and there were several half-hearted attempts by individual Advance supporters to ‘insert’ themselves amongst the anti-racists. These were easily dealt with by officers.  The anti-racist protesters seemed unaware that there is a rear entrance to the centre which was apparently used by the more notable guests.

The anti-racists, to the relief of officers, withdrew in good order at around 1.30 and marched on the footways to Parliament Square before dispersing. That was enough for me but more hardy observers remained in the area and saw the arrival of around 1,000 Iranians who had marched from Marble Arch.

This Saturday, Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has issued a call for mass demonstrations across the globe which will inevitably result in a London protest with significant numbers of officers being abstracted from their boroughs. There is also an anti-monarchist, republican protest directed against the royal family and that will conclude at the gates of Buckingham Palace.

Chris Hobbs is a former Special Branch officer who follows protests as an observer for Police Oracle.