A mourning event for Ayatollah Khamenei has reportedly been crashed by counter-protesters in Manchester. The demonstration began as a vigil on Sydney Street, just off Oxford Road, organised by the Manchester Friends of Islamic Centre and promoted on Instagram. Khamenei was killed, along with his wife and some family members, in an air strike as part of large-scale US and Israeli missile strikes against targets in Iran on February 28.

Attendees were waving the modern Iranian flag and photos of the Ayatollah, as well as slogans proclaiming “no to Islamophobia” and “mosques are sacred places of worship”.

Police are in attendance maintained a distance between the two groups.

The vigil has been met with a large counter-protest waving flags of the US, Israel and the pre-1979 Islamic Revolution flag of Iran. They also carried photos of Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah of Iran.

While those mourning were holding the current official flag, the celebrating counter-protesters were waving the Lion and Sun flag. The two different flags carry strong political symbolism, reflecting diverging chapters of Iran’s history and the ongoing struggles of its people.

The Lion and Sun design – Iran’s pre-revolutionary emblem – is embraced by some opposition groups and members of the diaspora.

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