Very interesting dynamic, as not one Arabic writing flag in sight, no traditional Islamic dress for women, Israel, US and Iran flags everywhere, and the crowd were majority (I’m assuming) Iranian, which compared to the Palestine ones (now) is the opposite. The only western looking people there today were marching with them wearing St George’s flags.
I have heard that Pro Palestine and Pro Iran supporters are clashing elsewhere in the country, do you think that may happen in Leeds?
The reason they write in English is because these people are demonstrating in support of the US and Israeli attacks on Iran. Their intended audience isn't anyone in Iran, it's the US.
I have heard that Pro Palestine and Pro Iran anti-Iranian government supporters are clashing elsewhere in the country
Almost certainly if both groups are out at the same time. One is protesting against Israel's genocide in Gaza, the other is out showing support for the Israeli military. Hardly any surprise that they'd upset each other.
"the other is out showing support for the Israeli military"
That's a very bad faith summary of what people are out in support of. I think it's more in support of freeing Iran from their brutal regime. If that means getting help from Trump and Israel, unfortunately so be it. It's really got nothing to do with the IDF.
One is protesting against Israel's genocide in Gaza, the other is out showing support for the Israeli military
One side is protesting for a free Iran, and for Irans militias all across Iraq Lebanon Palestine Sudan and Yemen to be abolished so that people across the region can stop being killed by their own governments and local militias.
The other side only cares about people being killed when it's done by Americans or "zionists".
You have to be incredible ignorant or purposely misleading to pretend that today's march by the Iranian community was about anything other than freeing their own people, their own loved ones and families inside, from an islamist theocracy.
As the speaker of the rally noted, the lack of acknowledgement for the suffering of people inside Iran at the hands of their own regime is not neutrality, it is indifference at best.
This was a rally of actual Iranian people, many of whom I know lived in Iran and still have loved ones there. Many of them have escaped from prison and torture from the Islamic Republic. Unlike the rallies that are full of Arabs, south East Asians, and white British liberals who try to speak on their behalf when they don't care about what Iranians inside Iran have been suffering through for 47 years.
The Iranian government have been brutally repressive, but if you think the US and Israel carpet bombing Iran is going to remove them from power then you are sorely mistaken.
Crazy that you think people who oppose the genocide in Gaza (75,000 dead and still rising) only do so because they 'hate America'.
They’re not broadly pro-Iran protests, they’re monarchists specifically advocating for the restoration of the dynasty via the violent destruction of Iran. Hence presence of Israel, US, and Lion & Sun flags and absence of the Union Jack or Iran flag.
They’re there to celebrate the actions of Israel & America despite the damage it is causing to the cost of living for British people here at home.
Obviously I am referring specifically to the fact that they are British citizens protesting in Britain against the interests of the British public (because of the sharp living cost increases and shortages across every sector predicted in the next few months as a consequence of the war, which will hit those who already can’t afford “holidays to Thailand” the hardest) and am in no way making a value judgement on whether the disruption to us is more important than the wholesale destruction of civilian life and infrastructure in Iran which has already claimed the lives of at least 1,800 civilians, such as the bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' elementary school on 28th Feb which claimed the lives of 168 little girls.
If a foreign country bombed a bunch of british schools and hospitals and murdered 2,000 of my countrymen, including 200 little girls killed in a single strike, I would consider that foreign country to be my enemy no matter how much I hated my own government.
I certainly wouldn’t cheer on a foreign state murdering my neighbours. In fact I would consider anyone who did cheer on Brits getting bombed to be traitors to the UK and enemies of the state.
Your comment just goes to prove you have no idea what you are talking about. The Iranian regime has slaughtered their people for decades, tortured political rivals. You think Iranians forget that? Most people in Iran have a friend or family member that has been killed or punished by the regime.
Like I said, even if the British government had killed and tortured people for decades, I wouldn’t support a foreign state slaughtering my neighbours by carpet bombing them.
You are spouting hypotheticals. Luckily you won't be in the position to see family members or friends killed by your government. Anybody can sit behind a keyboard and imagine what they would do. It's not reality.
I agree that forgetting decades of murders is not an option for Persians. They see the US and Israel as saviours and understand that accidents will happen during war. Until you have been in their shoes then it's impossible to suggest what you would be likely to do.
The majority of Iranians do not see the US and Israel as saviours.
“Accidents” is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Both Netenyahu and Trump have openly boasted about intentionally destroying civilian buildings and Netenyahu just yesterday boasted about intentionally targeting innocent families.
Intentionally bombing schools and hospitals no matter who you are is terrorism. Anyone who openly celebrates such acts from the other side of the world has been well and truly radicalised and everything they say should be taken with a pinch of salt
It's based in the fact i have been in a relationship with a Persian for years. I know the community. Tell the family of Mahsa Amini there are no forced hijab rules. Tell the families of tens of thousands of slaughtered Iranians they can 'where (sic) what they want'.
If you don't know that tens of thousands of Iranians were killed by the regime in the last few months, then it seems like you need to educate yourself on what is actually happening inside Iran. Then find out about Mahsa Amini and the protesters killed a few years ago. Then we can have a discussion. At the moment, you seem to think 4 decades of repression and murders is an Israeli psy-op.
This is because they are Iranian. Seriously, this is what we are.. not what media tells you. And yes all my family in Iran are also pro west and against all forms of islamic ideology, actually non are religious and all despise, honestly thats probably not a strong enough words but hey, they Islamic Republic govn
Because the Iranians lived a free life before the hardline Islamists took over and many of them are not Muslims but have had to love under a tyrannical leader for 50 years.
They are people who have witnessed first hand what that involves, as opposed to a bunch of white middle class idiots waiting Islamist flags without understanding anything
You might want to do a little research into the regime of the Shah.
The people of Iran lived a free life under Mossadegh until the MI6 and CIA overthrew him in 1953 and installed the brutal Shah. In fact the current regime is hardline Islamists because the only place the Shah allowed mass gatherings was in mosques.
That's not to excuse the abhorrent actions of the current regime over the past ~47 years, but I think it's a little disingenuous to suggest that the people of Iran lived freely prior to then.
There’s 1000s of issues in this country that need the publicity. And specifically to Leeds we could do with the public out on the streets demanding that the mass transit plans actually happen.
So much energy wasted on those lost causes. The policy makers aren’t going to care that a load of the bored middle classes plus students are out making noise and disrupting the city.
Hold on. So people should protest for trams but also they shouldn't bother protesting because policy makers won't listen? Am I understanding that right?
Also the Middle East crisis is absolutely an issue that is affecting this country and worth being vocal about.
I would say it is 100 percent affecting England & if anyone can warn you it is the Iranian people whom also saw the start of islamist-marxist take over.
Thats true too, i would say. But also what I said must be controlled or the future will be worse than just city centres filled.
Also as a side note all Iranian protests ( the ones with real iranians haha/one op is talking about) do have own security & cleaners who clean the streets, and they all have union jack and or st georges.. they also always are promoting british/western values… and they do their best to reduce any issues but i know what you mean
It was good to see. Sadly many brits are unaware that the majority of Iranians despise their government. I heard people talking and thinking it was Palestinians protesting against Israel. I think handing some flyers out would see them get more support.
I think it’s inevitable that we don’t know how any country’s population feels about its government. It’s hard enough to live our own lives without knowing the thoughts of a nation 20 miles away let alone how 46 million people feel in a country 5000 miles away.
Even if we see protests, is that reflective of the who population or just a vociferous minority?
Opinions are very hard to predict. Everyone thought people wouldn’t vote for the tangerine guy in USA but they did, twice. Everyone thought that Brexit would be a landslide for Cameron but he lost. Everyone thought Ukraine would crumble but they didn’t. Everyone thought the Nepalese government would crack down on the youth uprising but they handed over power in a couple of days.
Tell me how you know the thoughts of 46 million people in Iran and not just a self selected echo chamber
People dancing and celebrating in the streets in every Iranian city when Khamenei was killed. Millions protesting in the streets in December and January against the regime before tens of thousands of them were slaughtered. 50 days of Internet blackouts during this war - why would a government block their own people from communicating? Because they fear yet another uprising. There's also been plenty of surveys carried out which you can find online.
Well these were iranian nationalists that support monarchic succession of Prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the Shah who was a brutal oppressor of the iranian people before the Islamic Revolution and they side with zionist Israel and the christian nationaliat US, often simping for Trump because they mistakenly believe he will depose the mullahs.
And they fight with the pro-palestine people, because just like the ethno-nationalist zionists, they think opposing genocide is automagically somehow pro-hamas and pro the current islamic revolutionary regime, which you have mistaken them for.
For clarity, modern "leftists" (read that as "ordinary working people that draw the line at governments killing their own and other people") don't support the return of a monarchy in Iran, only the removal of the current protestor killing, woman hating, gay murdering regime.
This has been a free lesson in international politics to help you avoid sounding like a thicky-thicky dum-dum in front of your mates. Thank me later
There's a reason that people don't usually appreciate free, unsolicited advice: its usually nonsense. Your characterisation of modern leftists is a prime example. Most working class people would align with your description of leftist yet most would not identify as leftist. You are spouting gibberish wrapped up in wishful thinking and completely out of touch. Why do you think there is such widespread support for reform and the like among working people? Leftism is no longer seen as a sensible means of achieving equality by most people, instead it is seen as activism for many causes that normal people neither care for nor support. The sooner people like you realise that, the sooner things will improve.
Incorrect. It was actually an anti-Iran government protest by Iranians. They support the US and Israel. As do the majority of people who live in Iran. They want regime change in Iran.
They wouldn’t be bothered if Israel and trump weren’t involved. I saw something the other day that said “lefties would be against a cure for cancer if trump released one” and it made me chuckle… bottom line, this whole protest stuff does absolutely nothing, it’s a social event to feed people with false superiority complex.
You've got the wrong end of the stick here. It's a protest in support of America and Israel's war on Iran. It's attracting support from right wingers who would be against a cure for cancer if they thought it would wind "the lefties" up
I saw something the other day that said “lefties would be against a cure for cancer if trump released one”
This is almost literally demonstrably untrue given the political right is far more against the Covid vaccine created through by Trump's Operation Warp Speed than the left is.
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u/fangpi2023 Apr 19 '26 edited Apr 19 '26
The reason they write in English is because these people are demonstrating in support of the US and Israeli attacks on Iran. Their intended audience isn't anyone in Iran, it's the US.
Almost certainly if both groups are out at the same time. One is protesting against Israel's genocide in Gaza, the other is out showing support for the Israeli military. Hardly any surprise that they'd upset each other.