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- By Supratik Das
- Sun, 11 Jan 2026 12:48 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
An anti-regime protester climbed the balcony of the Iranian Embassy in London on Saturday and replaced the Islamic Republic’s official flag with Iran’s pre-1979 “Lion and Sun” emblem, a powerful symbol linked to the country’s monarchy before the Islamic Revolution.
The dramatic act unfolded as hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the embassy in Kensington, waving opposition flags and chanting slogans against Iran’s clerical leadership. Videos circulating on social media showed the protester scaling the embassy façade, tearing down the current flag and hoisting the historic tricolour, drawing loud cheers from the crowd below.
The Metropolitan Police said officers were deployed to prevent disorder and confirmed that two people were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass. One individual was also held for allegedly assaulting an emergency worker. Authorities said they were searching for a third person in connection with trespassing at the site. It was not immediately clear whether the individual who replaced the flag was among those detained.
The Iranian Embassy later posted an image on social media showing the official flag restored, stating that “Iran’s flag is flying high.” The embassy declined to comment further on the incident.
Symbol Of Opposition And Defiance
The “Lion and Sun” flag, which was Iran’s national emblem prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has become a widely used symbol among opposition groups and members of the Iranian diaspora. Protesters view it as representing a secular and democratic Iran, in contrast to the current flag, which features Islamic symbols introduced after the revolution.
Saturday’s demonstration in London coincided with the second week of widespread protests inside Iran. What began on December 28 as demonstrations over rising prices and economic hardship has evolved into one of the most serious challenges to Iran’s leadership in years, with protesters openly calling for an end to clerical rule.
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), at least 116 people have been killed and thousands detained during the unrest. Iranian authorities have also imposed nationwide internet restrictions, drawing sharp criticism from international rights organisations and foreign governments.
Crowds of several thousand protesters at the Iranian Embassy in London have begun to scale the building, as one man can be seen tearing down the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran and replacing it with the Lion and Sun Flag, representing the Imperial State of Iran prior to the… pic.twitter.com/EVusZAsRm8
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 10, 2026
Global Solidarity Protests
Similar solidarity protests have taken place outside Iranian embassies in several cities, including Berlin, Paris and Washington, DC. In London, demonstrators were seen holding portraits of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, who has urged continued protests and encouraged supporters to raise the pre-revolutionary flag.
The UK government, along with France and Germany, has expressed deep concern over reports of violence against protesters in Iran and has called on Tehran to respect freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has dismissed the demonstrations as foreign-backed unrest, accusing protesters of acting against national interests. As protests continue both inside Iran and abroad, Saturday’s flag replacement at the London embassy has emerged as a striking visual symbol of growing dissent against the Islamic Republic on the global stage.