Akhmed Yakoob Interviewed by Police Following Flag Burning Incident at Iran Protest
Controversial lawyer and political activist Akhmed Yakoob has been questioned by West Midlands Police after participating in a demonstration related to the Iran crisis, during which an Israeli flag was set on fire and chants including 'death to the IDF' and 'bomb Tel Aviv' were shouted. Yakoob reported to Bournville police station for questioning about his involvement in the event. After emerging from the interview, he stated that he faced no charges and maintained that he had done nothing wrong.
Protest Details and Coordination
Yakoob, along with fellow activist Shakeel Afsar, helped organize a gathering outside a city mosque where prayers were being held to mourn the death of Iran's Islamist leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The former supreme leader of Iran was killed during initial U.S. and Israeli bombings last week, and one of his sons has been selected to succeed him. Most attendees at the vigil, held at the Imam Reza Cultural Centre, waved Palestinian flags, and the event was protected by dozens of people holding signs supporting Islamic leaders and condemning the actions of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu.
During the protest, a group of men set an Israeli flag ablaze and held it up, with Yakoob and Afsar among those celebrating the act. The mosque has previously been the site of weekly protests by Iranian refugees in Birmingham, who advocate for regime change due to allegations of brutality, violent suppression of dissent, and widespread human rights abuses by the ayatollahs, particularly restrictions on women's rights. Local Iranians have shared stories of brutality and killings by the Islamic Republican Guard, leading them to flee to avoid arrest and torture, and they have expressed support for a return to a monarchy-led democracy.
Political Context and Counter Protest
Yakoob and Afsar, who are coordinating a bid to secure seats on Birmingham City Council, decided to act by organizing a counter protest. They were joined by some of their Independent Alliance candidates, including Shahid Butt, a reformed convicted terrorist. With police monitoring the situation, chants of 'Death to the IDF' and calls for the demise of the state of Israel were heard. Pro-Iran activists held signs with messages such as 'We stand with Iran', 'You can kill a man, but you can't kill an ideology', 'Stop Trump's wars', and descriptions of exiled Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi as an 'Iranian Zionist Puppet'.
Yakoob's Response and Police Investigation
In a video posted on his TikTok and Instagram accounts, Yakoob documented his arrival at Bournville Police Station, where he claimed he was questioned over 'something I did not do'. He suggested that police had no reason to personally question him about the chants and flag-burning, which were carried out by another man, though Yakoob was captured on video celebrating the act. After leaving the station, he told his followers that burning the flag of Israel or another nation is 'not a racial or religious crime', and neither is chanting 'Death to the IDF'.
Yakoob added that he has 'nothing against the police' for questioning him but criticized the 'barbaric Israeli regime' for killing innocents in Iran and Gaza. West Midlands Police were asked to comment on the protests and their policing, as well as to confirm if any charges had been made. They previously stated that they are investigating potential racially or religiously aggravated public order offenses in connection with the gathering.
