Posted on 11/29/2011 7:20:12 AM PST by Pikachu_Dad
Dozens of Iranian students have stormed the UK embassy in Tehran, chanting “death to England.” Before police intervened, protesters pelted the embassy with stones and petrol bombs, brought down the flag, and destroyed a pile of classified documents.
Reports by the Mehr news agency that six UK staff had been taken hostage when students raided a north Tehran diplomatic compound were withdrawn shortly after they were posted. No explanation was given for the report, nor its removal.
(Excerpt) Read more at rt.com ...
disaffected youts?
1979 Rewind!
Isn’t that the black Al-quaida flag?
DOZENS is a bit too small a term...
“Dozens of hard-line Iranian students have stormed the British Embassy in Tehran, bringing down the British flag and throwing documents from windows.
The students clashed with anti-riot police and chanted “the Embassy of Britain should be taken over” and “death to England.”
Tuesday’s incident comes two days after Iranian parliament approved a bill that reduces diplomatic relations with Britain following London’s support of recently upgraded U.S. sanctions on Tehran.”
Another story from the Australian.
“HARD-LINE Iranian students last night stormed the British diplomatic compounds in Tehran, bringing down the Union Jack flag and throwing documents from windows in scenes reminiscent of the anger against Western powers after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The mob surged past riot police into the British embassy compound - which they pelted with petrol bombs and stones - two days after Iran’s parliament approved a bill that reduces diplomatic relations with Britain following London’s support of recently upgraded Western sanctions on Tehran over its disputed nuclear program.
Less than two hours later, police appeared to regain control of the site. But the official IRNA news agency said about 300 protesters entered the British ambassador’s residence in another part of the city and replaced British flags with Iranian ones.
The British Foreign Office denounced the melee and said Iran has a “clear duty” under international law to protect diplomats and offices.
“We are outraged by this,” said the statement. “It is utterly unacceptable and we condemn it.” It said a “significant number” of protesters entered the compound and caused vandalism, but gave no other details on damage or whether diplomatic staff was inside the embassy, although the storming occurred after business hours.
The semi-official Mehr news agency said embassy staff had left the compound before the mobs entered, but it also said those who occupied the area had taken six staff as hostages. It did not give their nationalities and the report could not immediately be confirmed.
The protesters broke through after clashing with anti-riot police and chanting for its takeover. “Death to England”, some cried in the first significant assault of a foreign diplomatic area in Iran in years. More protesters poured into the compound as police tried to clear the site.
Smoke rose from some areas of the embassy grounds and the British flag was replaced with a banner in the name of 7th century Shi’ite saint, Imam Hussein. Occupiers also tore down picture of the Queen.
The occupiers called for the closure of the embassy calling it a “spy den” - the same phrase used after militants stormed the US embassy in Tehran in 1979 and held 52 hostages for 444 days. In the early moments of the siege, protesters tossed out papers from the compound and hauled down the US flag.
Washington and Tehran have no diplomatic relations since then. The rally outside the British embassy - on a main street in Tehran downtown - included protesters carrying photographs of nuclear scientist Majid Shahriari, who was killed last year in an attack that Iran blamed on Israeli and British spy services. Outside the embassy, students from some universities and seminaries burned British flags on fire as clashing with police.
State TV reported that another group of hardline students gathered at the gate of British ambassador’s residence in northern Tehran, at the same time. Britain’s Foreign Office said it was in contact with embassy officials. Officials were still checking on the well-being of workers and diplomats, a spokeswoman said.
Tensions with Britain date back to the 19th century when the Persian monarchy gave huge industrial concessions to London, which later included significant control over Iran’s oil industry. But they have become increasingly strained as the West accuses Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons - a charge Tehran denies. In recent years, Iran was angered by Britain’s decision in 2007 honour author Salman Rushdie with a knighthood.
Rushdie went into hiding after Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini issued a 1989 fatwa, or religious edict, ordering Muslims to kill the author because his novel The Satanic Verses allegedly insulted Islam. Iran detained 15 British sailors and marines in March 2007 for allegedly entering the country’s territorial waters in the Gulf - a claim Britain denies. The 15 were released after nearly two weeks in captivity.
In 2006, angry mobs burned the Danish flag and attacked Danish and other Western embassies in Tehran in protest to the reprinting of a cartoon deemed insulting of the Prophet Muhammad in the Nordic country’s newspapers.”
Falesteeni November 29, 2011, 19:10 0
In a DEMOCRACY everyone is GUILTY & responsible for their Government actions, that goes for the Brits who claim they are Innocent, As a Palestinian I WILL NEVER REST until I'll KILL thousands of you BRITS SOB..I will be coming STRAPPED for my REVENGE, you BRITS YOU ARE NOT SAFE, TERROR IS THE ULTIMATE WEAPON
Perhaps six hostages. Perhaps not. The report was withdrawn.
The riot police and the mob mill together in this photo.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/world/middleeast/tehran-protesters-storm-british-embassy.html
The staff at the Israeli embassy in Cairo...
Has Carter offered his services to the Brits since he is a recognized expert in these matters?
Well the Iranians are emboldened by the pathetic response from the Brits when their sailors were captured by the Iranian Navy in 2007. The proper response would be a complete cut of diplomatic ties followed by the sinking of an Iranian naval vessel. The Iranians are likely expecting an apology from simpering David Cameron.
Hopefully this act will move even the wimpy Brits to support a strike on Iran.
Invite those students to a charity football match between Tehran’s top club and Sheffield Wednesday, all expenses paid.
Then we’ll see how tough those students really are . . .
They could send in these guys:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwoZrEmm5sQ&feature=related
Or maybe just the leader Henno Garvie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PPhny0mAL4
Six British embassy staff taken hostage by hardline Iranian students released - Fars agency via @Reuters
http://twitter.com/#!/RT_com/status/141540596123844608
Well that’s good news for the staff. Now get them out of Tehran and let the bombing begin.
Yeah, its not like Americans have ever been taken hostage by Iranians....
Wimpy Brits?.
Same wimpy Britain that has fought in Iraq and Afghanistan?.
Same wimpy Britain that led the NATO campaign with the French in Libya and had the SAS and SBS on the ground?.
And wimpy Britain will back Israel quicker than you lot if military force is necessary against Iran this year or next.
Tough talk for an armchair warrior 3000 miles from the UK.
The British SAS is not wimpy. The British leadership is. Britain certainly does more than France and Germany in these international situations, but they’ve lost the swagger they had when Maggie Thatcher was in charge.
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