London, 11 January (H.S.): In a bold act of defiance mirroring turmoil within Iran, a protester scaled the balcony of the Islamic Republic's embassy near Hyde Park on Saturday and temporarily replaced the current national flag with the pre-1979 tricolor emblem featuring a lion and sun, emblematic of the ousted Shah's era.

The audacious display, captured in a widely circulated social media video, drew cheers from hundreds of demonstrators gathered below, who view the gesture as a potent symbol of resistance against Tehran's theocratic regime.

Eyewitnesses reported that the historic flag—adopted before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and abandoned thereafter—remained unfurled for several minutes before embassy security intervened and restored the official banner.

This incident unfolds against the backdrop of escalating anti-government protests in Iran, now entering their third week, where demonstrators have similarly brandished the lion-and-sun motif alongside calls for regime change, inspired by exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi's exhortations to seize public spaces.

The London rally, part of a global wave of solidarity actions, amplifies voices decrying Iran's attorney general's recent decree branding protesters enemies of God, a charge punishable by death under Articles 186 and 190 of the penal code. With reports of over 65 fatalities and 2,300 detentions in Iran, alongside internet blackouts in Tehran since Thursday, such expatriate protests underscore the diaspora's role in sustaining momentum for reform.

British authorities monitored the event closely, ensuring it remained peaceful amid heightened diplomatic sensitivities.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar