Iran protests

In September 2022, a young Iranian woman called Mahsa Amini was arrested for not wearing the hijab. She died in police custody, apparently having suffered a cerebral haemorrhage as a result of beatings by police officers.

Her murder at the hands of police prompted international protests, with women across Iran removing their hijabs in protest, often to the visible anger of clerics and conservatives. There have been frequent protests in London, sometimes outside the Iranian embassy and sometimes in other central London locations. The months of protests have been the largest Iran has seen since 2009, and have resulted in crackdowns within Iran.

Iranian pro-women protestors wave flags during a demonstration in Trafalgar Square, London, 8 October 2022. The flags are mostly the pre-revolution “Lion and Sun” flag, rather than the modern Iranian flag.
Protestors demonstrate against the Iranian government in Parliament Square, London, 8 October 2022.
Protestors chant “woman, life, freedom”, the unofficial slogan of the pro-women campaign movement in Iran. Parliament Square, London, 8 October 2022.
The full size of the crowd in Parliament Square, 8 October 2022.