Pro and anti-Iran protesters face off at Ayatollah vigil in Manchester
Regime supporters waved Iranian and Palestinian flags, burned a picture of Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and blamed “Zios”
Hundreds of anti-Iran protesters gathered in Manchester on Wednesday at a vigil for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The event saw around one hundred pro-Ayatollah protesters waving the regime’s flag alongside the Palestinian flag, candles, photos of Khamenei, flowers and a handwritten sign declaring: “You can kill a man but you can’t kill an ideology”.
Posters stated the event was supported by the “Friends of Islamic Centre of Manchester”. A photograph of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set alight and another placard said Khamenei had been “Killed at the hands of Zios”.
A counter-protest of around 400 people, including Iranians, played loud music, chanted, waved portraits of Donald Trump and danced to the Village People’s YMCA, (a song popularly associated with Trump’s campaign rallies) in celebration of the American intervention.
They also waved US and Israeli flags, as well as the the pre-1979, Lion and Sun flag of Iran. Others carried pictures of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah of Iran, with a sign saying “Pahlavi will return”.
Greater Manchester Police separated the two sides and said that despite tensions, there was “no significant disruption”.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
