A rally was held outside the US consulate in Edinburgh. Members of Scotland's Iranian community gathered outside the US consulate in Edinburgh to show gratitude for American and Israeli airstrikes against the Iranian regime. Dozens waved US, Israeli, and Iranian monarchy flags outside the consulate, chanting thanks to President Donald Trump and playing music.
They welcomed the ongoing military action and celebrated the death of Ayatollah Khamenei, who was killed in the opening strike of the war on Saturday. The crowd thanked Donald Trump for US strikes on the Iranian regime. Many expressed hope that Operation Epic Fury would result in the downfall of the Iranian regime.
At the rally, attendees held pictures honoring American troops who died in the conflict. Tooran Hejazi, 43, who lives in Glasgow, attended the rally and fled Iran around 10 years ago after converting to Christianity. ' She said she hoped the 'cruel regime' would be brought down in time for Naw Ruz, the Persian new year, on March 21.
Abbas Lessani, chairman of the Iranian Scottish Association, helped organize the rally. He said, 'Donald Trump promised he was going to help the people of Iran. ' Lion-emblazoned flags of pre-revolution Iran fluttered in cities across Europe as protesters gathered on Saturday to express support for the Iranian people amid the ongoing war with the US and Israel.
Many demonstrators, including in Berlin, Stockholm, and Paris, voiced support for exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran's last shah, who presents himself as an alternative after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in an Israeli-American strike. In London, people demonstrated against the war while some others marched in support of Khamenei. Between 5,000 and 6,000 people attended the 'Hands Off Iran' march in London, according to the Metropolitan Police, chanting 'stop the bombing now, now, now'.
Paris saw two demonstrations: one supporting the son of the late shah to head up a transition, and another denouncing that scenario. Masoud Ghanaatian, a 35-year-old student, said at a protest in southern Paris, 'I support Pahlavi who is calling for a revolution. He's a democrat.
' But other protesters wearing yellow vests reading 'Free Iran' showed off stickers on their hands that read 'No Shah, no Mullah'. Hundreds of pro-Pahlavi demonstrators also gathered in Stockholm, holding up pictures of him and his late father. In Amsterdam, protesters marched along one of the city's canals, holding up Israeli, American, and pre-revolution Iran flags, as they called on the government to invite Pahlavi to the country and to close the Iranian embassy.
Shortly after dawn in Britain, anti-war protesters gathered at the entrance of an air force base in Fairford, southwest of England, holding signs reading 'Hands off Iran,' 'Peace' and 'Yanks go home'. In Glasgow, a smaller demonstration took place at Buchanan Steps. A mixture of US, Israeli, and Iranian flags could be seen at the protest, while some demonstrators held signs reading 'Make Iran Great Again'.
The United States and Israel launched a joint strike on sites across Iran on February 28, killing Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and prompting Iran's retaliation against Israel and regional allies. Iran is being hit by a US–Israeli air campaign at the same time as it faces the biggest anti‑regime protests in years, turning a domestic crisis into a full‑scale international conflict. US President Donald Trump has promised to help rebuild Iran's economy if Tehran installs someone 'acceptable' to him to replace its late supreme leader.
However, Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, said the US would have no role in selecting Khamenei's successor. ' Demonstrators gathered in the capital on Saturday to take part in the protest, holding signs such as 'war is hell and this one is illegal' and 'stop arming Israel'. Similar protests were held across the UK on Saturday, including in London, where thousands of activists led a demonstration towards the US embassy.