The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood
Dear Ms Mahmood,
We are writing to seek urgent rectification of your government’s handling of violent protests claiming to be against the Iranian government yet are in fact targeting Muslim community institutions and Iranian restaurants and businesses across the UK.
The most notable aggression is centred on the Islamic Centre of England (although not limited to it nor confined to the capital – religious centres in Birmingham and Manchester have also seen similar attacks). The centre has experienced organised violence by highly charged mobs intent on doing damage to the premises and the people.
The protestors seem to be following a well-rehearsed script beginning with social media incitement and culminating in physical attacks, often involving weapons, on buildings and persons everywhere they gather. This also includes intimidating attacks to force Iranian restaurants and businesses to physically show their support for a Loyalist, violent minority by visibly displaying a Loyalist flag on their premises. A recent attack involved the use of Molotov cocktails. Open-source information available on social media provides ample evidence to support these points which we have also listed in the Appendix of Evidence. Due to the overwhelming evidence we have collated from open- source information, we have made available a Proton Drive containing photo and video evidence for your further inspection. The link is available in the Appendix of Evidence at the end of this letter.
Given the invariably violent nature of these protests we are at a loss to explain the indifference of your government to ensuring public safety and protecting private property.
To be clear, the targets we refer to are not Iranian government personnel, institutions or property. They are civilians residing in the UK
For the last two and a half years we have seen restrictions placed on public protests against the Gaza genocide ostensibly to protect Jewish people and synagogues despite the fact that there is no demonstrable threat or history of violence against them. Yet despite the predictably hostile and violent nature of the anti-Iran protests currently unfolding on our streets, the government has done nothing to protect those they are targeting.
Worse than that, politicians from your government and across the floor, alongside their handmaidens in the media, have deliberately whipped up an environment of hate in which anything perceived to be pro-Iran is a legitimate target for its detractors.
On Tues 3 Feb, David Taylor MP called in Parliament for military strikes against Tehran, an action that, should you need reminding, would be illegal under international law.
Taylor also called for proscription of groups like IHRC on the basis of “alleged links to the Ayatollah” that he does not evidence, and even falsely claimed Iranian dissidents were attacked outside our “centre”. [We do not run a “centre” and there is no record of violence against anyone at or near our premises].
This kind of vilification is being used to stir up hatred against groups that are critical of UK policy on Iran and by extension, Palestine.
It is clear that the demonisation, disinformation and deliberate lies being peddled by the media and politicians are creating a climate that is inciting and inviting violence on our streets against ordinary Muslims and their community institutions. A clear example of this is the case of Darren Osbourne who deliberately planned and travelled to London to target the annual Al Quds Day protest in 2017. Darren Osbourne failed in executing his plan as he intended resulting instead in the tragic killing of two Muslims leaving Ramadan prayers at their local mosque. Minority communities are only too painfully aware of the harm that such inflammatory speech can cause, especially at times when scapegoating is fanning social division to serve wider agendas.
In view of the above, we demand that you instruct the police to apply all lawful measures to protect persons and community institutions being targeted by anti-Iranian protestors. We also urge your government to immediately cease its role in creating an environment of hate by falsely linking Muslim community groups to the Iranian government, which makes such hostility and violence against mosques and congregants inevitable.
Yours faithfully
Massoud Shadjareh
Chair, Islamic Human Rights Commission
cc. Sir Mark Rowley (Metropolitan Police Commissioner)
Simon Foster (Police and Crime Commissioner, Birmingham)
Sir Stephen Watson QPM (Chief Constable, Greater Manchester Police)
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan
Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Zafar Iqbal
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham
Appendix of Evidence
Proton drive of photo and video evidence:
https://drive.proton.me/urls/CBGA5Q5Y14#QRGfVF2vPYum
- Screenshots of X post inciting Loyalist use of weapons and violence
- Link to Instagram account “jamehmadaniiran” who can be seen vandalising mosque premises and forcing Iranian restaurants and businesses to visibly show support for Loyalist politics:
https://www.instagram.com/jamehmadaniiran/
- IHRC PRESS RELEASE – UK: How Darren Osborne came to be radicalised 01,02.2018
https://www.ihrc.org.uk/press-releases/press-release-uk-how-darren-osborne-came-to-be-radicalised/
- Loyalists intimidating an Afghan mosque in Birmingham
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTjJhDUCk9h/
- Loyalist tears down the Iranian flag outside the Iranian Embassy and poses with a loyalist flag
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTZvtYYjQ2P/
- Loyalist climbs the balcony of the Iranian embassy and vandalises the walls and defaces the Iranian flag
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DK30qSvu5aj/
- Loyalist climbs the Iranian embassy unimpeded and tears down the Iranian flag, replacing it with a Loyalist flag
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTZHOQXCBuT/
- Loyalist climbs the Iranian embassy and lowers the Iranian flag, again, unimpeded
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTlflK9jbu8/
- Loyalists gather to intimidate a mosque in Manchester
- Loyalists approaches a Palestine Solidarity Camp in London and abuses them in Farsi shouting “Death to Palestine” and “Bastards” and “Terrorist bastards”. These are public order offences.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DT8o6AKiFy6/
- Man arrested after arson attack on Maida Vale Islamic Centre
https://news.met.police.uk/news/man-arrested-after-arson-attack-on-maida-vale-islamic-centre-505804
- Loyalist complains she was rejected from “Asian Muslim” business when she states her intention to burn images of Ali Khamenei
https://x.com/iranscreenshot/status/2019398909634949613?s=12
- Entering and harassing businesses
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTfy5oeDEIi/
- Harassing and intimidating ordinary Iranians and children outside the Iranian consulate
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DT27vuoiLG9/
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DT2yFMHCJyn/
