Hundreds of members of Birmingham's Iranian exile community have staged a defiant public demonstration, calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic's regime, even as they live in fear of reprisals against family back home and under the watchful eyes of suspected government spies in their midst.
A Rally of Defiance and Desperation in the City Centre
On Sunday, January 11, 2026, a crowd estimated in the hundreds gathered near the Bullring in Birmingham's heart. They waved the historic Lion and Sun flag, used before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and chanted slogans including "Rise, rise for Iran" and demands that the ruling mullahs must go. The protest was a powerful show of solidarity with a fresh wave of unrest inside Iran, which has become one of the most significant challenges to 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The protests in Iran were initially triggered by economic anger over the soaring cost of living and the collapse of the Iranian rial but have rapidly evolved into a broad movement for political freedom. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 538 people, mostly protesters, have been killed in the associated violence, with over 10,600 arrests. Another monitor, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group, confirmed 192 deaths by Sunday but warned the true toll could be several hundred, labelling the situation a "mass killing".
Living in Fear: Spies, Surveillance, and Family as Pawns
Speaking to BirminghamLive on condition of anonymity, local Iranians revealed a community gripped by anxiety. Their primary fear is for relatives and friends in Iran who are protesting, but a secondary, more immediate threat looms in Birmingham itself. Activists have long reported the presence of staunch pro-regime supporters in the city who they believe spy on the exile community, feed intelligence back to Tehran, and promote the regime's narrative locally.
This has led to a palpable climate of fear. Protesters are often reluctant to be named or photographed. They cite known instances where the dreaded Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has taken vengeance on family members still in Iran in retaliation for an individual's activism abroad. "They have ways of keeping us in check, even here," said one local Iranian, Mojan. "In Iran, if you do something against the regime, they do not deal just with you, but with your brother, your mother, your cousin... It is what stops people speaking out."
The emotional toll is profound. One local exile, a photographer, spoke of the sadness of separation, being unable to return home to visit his dying father because of his opposition to the regime. The pain of loss was echoed by a woman using the pseudonym Maral, who has lost three loved ones to the regime: two cousins in the 2019 and 2022 protests, and her best friend on Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, shot down by Iranian forces in January 2020.
International Reactions and a History of Crackdowns
The Iranian government has responded to the internal uprising with severe force, issuing death sentences, killing protesters on the streets, and broadcasting forced "confessions" on state media. President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for pro-government "national resistance" marches to counter the dissent.
Internationally, the situation has drawn sharp scrutiny. Former US President Donald Trump indicated his administration was "looking at it very seriously" and considering "very strong options," after being asked if Iran had crossed his red line regarding the killing of protesters. He confirmed talks were underway to arrange a meeting with Tehran.
The current protests echo the major 2022 uprising sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody, which was brutally suppressed. In Birmingham, a resilient network of exiles has maintained a weekly vigil for years. Their latest gathering, though shadowed by fear, was a testament to their unwavering hope. As one anonymous protester put it: "We are very anxious. We hope this time though, change will come." Their ultimate aspiration remains the end of theocratic rule and a return to a different political future for their homeland.
