Israel Matzav

Deja vu all over again: 'Students' break into British embassy in Tehran (with video)

On Sunday, the Iranian parliament voted to downgrade relations with Britain over its imposition of sanctions against the Mullahcracy.

On Tuesday, Iranian 'students' demonstrating outside the embassy stormed it.

Let's go to the videotape. I'll have more below the fold.



This is from the Beeb.

Militant students are said to have removed the British flag, burnt it and replaced it with the Iranian flag.

They were also shown live on Iranian state TV throwing stones at embassy windows and breaking them.

The move comes after Iran resolved to reduce ties following the UK's decision to impose further sanctions on it.

The students clashed with anti-riot police and chanted "the embassy of Britain should be taken over" and "death to England", AP reports.

One protester was reported to be waving a framed picture of Queen Elizabeth II.

On Sunday, Iran's parliament voted by a large majority to downgrade diplomatic relations with the UK after the UK Treasury imposed sanctions on Iranian banks the previous week, accusing them of facilitating the country's nuclear programme.

Russia's RT adds (Hat Tip: Will).

Iranian police have reportedly managed to take control of the rally and asked the protesters to leave the territory of the embassy.

Earlier a group of students clashed with riot police as they climbed over the embassy’s gate, rushed into the building and started throwing documents from the windows.

Protesters have also started burning documents seized from the embassy’s offices, Mehr News Agency reports.

The British government has confirmed "a serious incursion" at UK embassy in Tehran and asked Iranian government to make every effort to end the crisis immediately.

Britain’s Foreign Office is "outraged" by the incursion by a "significant number of demonstrators" into the British embassy in Tehran, the BBC reports.

Tuesday’s protest was initially staged as a peaceful one, as thousands gathered to commemorate the anniversary of Iranian nuclear scientist Majid Shahriari’s death. According to the Iranian government he was murdered in a joint operation by Israel’s Mossad and UK’s MI6.

More pictures that make it clear that this incident was much more serious than appears in the video here.

Labels: British embassy, Tehran

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:18 PM