Protesters in support of the Iranian regime and its late Supreme Leader torched an Israeli flag and chanted ‘death to the IDF’ at a vigil in Birmingham last night.
Dozens of activists assembled in the city to condemn the US-Israeli strikes on the country and mourn the passing of former ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Video footage showed the small crowd chanting ‘death to the IDF’ and ‘bomb Tel Aviv’, as well as burning the Israeli flag and holding pictures of Khamenei.
West Midlands Police told the Daily Mail it has launched an investigation into possible racially/religiously aggravated public order offences.
The vigil at the Imam Reza Cultural Centre saw attendees hold signs in support of the regime and wave Iranian flags.
It was attended by convicted terrorist Shahid Butt, 60, who is standing in the May local elections in the Sparkhill area of the city.
Butt was convicted of terrorism in Yemen in 1999 after plotting bomb attacks on Western targets including the British consulate in Aden, an Anglican church, and a Swiss-owned hotel. He was jailed for five years.
Controversial lawyer Akhmed Yakoob, who previously stood as a candidate for the West Midlands mayoral election, was also at the vigil.
Anti-regime protesters turned up during the event, prompting clashes between the two sides, with police breaking up scuffles.
Signs held by pro-Iran activists read ‘We stand with Iran’ and ‘You can kill a man, but you can’t kill an ideology’.
Others declared ‘Stop Trump’s wars’ and described exiled Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi as an ‘Iranian Zionist Puppet’.
Khamenei, and his wider Islamic regime, are believed to have killed countless dissenters in Iran, including thousands during recent protests against the leader in the country in January.
On Wednesday a similar vigil took place in Manchester with police again involved after some 800 people turned up in support of and against the regime.
Described as ‘honouring the ayatollah’, who was killed in strikes on Iran on Saturday, attendees burned pictures of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Members of Ahlul-Bayt Islamic societies (AbSocs), which are student-led groups affiliated with the Shia sect of Islam in Iran, reportedly joined Wednesday’s vigil.
Various branches including in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Leeds have publicly mourned the death of Khamenei on social media.
The protests come after it was confirmed Khamenei had been killed following the launch of US-Israeli strikes on Iran on Saturday.
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Since then, the entire Middle East has seen the conflict escalate, with Iran launching attacks on US and Israeli targets in nations across the Gulf.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism told the Daily Mail the footage of the ‘mob’ is ‘distressing’ and shows ‘just how normalised extremist rhetoric and incitement to violence are becoming in our country’.
They added: ‘The presence of past and present political candidates at this flag burning is a grave sign of creeping sectarianism in our politics.’
Highlighting Butt’s presence and his conviction for terrorism, they continued: ‘These developments should worry us all about the direction of our society.
‘We look forward to hearing what action West Midlands Police, looking to recover from the Maccabi Tel Aviv scandal, will be taking.’
West Midlands Police were criticised over a ban on fans of Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv at a match against Aston Villa last year.
It later emerged that guidance on the issue was based on AI intelligence, which turned out to be false and referenced another football game that had never existed.
The force’s chief Craig Guildford eventually retired after both Downing Street and the Home Secretary said he had lost their confidence.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: ‘We’re investigating racially/religiously aggravated public order following a gathering yesterday in Birmingham.’
