UK
‘We won’t forget who stood by us,’ Iranian dissidents tell Jewish allies as thousands attend London rally
The rally was organised by Jewish campaign group Stop The Hate in collaboration with Iranian Committee for Freedom
January 12, 2026 12:10
The rally was organised by Jewish campaign group Stop The Hate in collaboration with Iranian Committee for Freedom
January 12, 2026 12:10British Jews joined Iranian dissidents in London on Sunday to voice their support for the uprising in the country and called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the military force at the centre of the crackdown against protesters.
Mass rallies have gripped all 31 provinces of Iran and the official death toll of protesters has climbed to over 500 – with some estimating that thousands may have been killed.
The rally outside outside Downing Street, organised by Jewish campaign group Stop The Hate in collaboration with Iranian Committee for Freedom, attracted around 3,000 people.
One protester named Bahar, told the JC: "We won't forget who stood by us at the hardest time."
She explained why she had joined the protest. "[I] came here for the people of Iran... We want a revolution... The Islamic Republic supports Hamas, Hezbollah, the Taliban, any terrorist organisation - but the people of Iran are different; we never support the terrorists - we want peace, we want love in the Middle East."
She said government officials attack Jewish citizens' houses in Iran claiming that they are working for Israel, adding that people in the UK need to protest and be the "voice of Iranians".
One of the speakers at the protest was Lily Moo, an activist who has spent many years campaigning for an Iranian future free from the rule of the ayatollah.
She told the JC: "We have gathered here on the fourteenth day of the protests [amid] the ongoing revolution against the regime of the ayatollah and to show solidarity with the Iranians. The Jewish community have [joined us to do the same].
"We are here to inform the prime minister that we are aware of his inaction and we would like him to take action against the regime of the ayatollah and proscribe the IRGC [as a terrorist organisation] and help Iranian people move into a brighter future."
Last week, Iran's government claimed that the protests were the work of Israeli and US interference and agents in the country and that protesters were only uprising to "please" foreign leaders such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump.
Moo said she did not believe anything the Iranian government says. "This regime is professional at lying. They lie like it's the truth. Do not [believe] they say they.
"This regime's atrocities are timeless endless and borderless," she continued.
Citing numerous terrorist attacks around the world that have been traced back to the Islamic Republic, Moo said: "This regime is causing a [global] threat. We have to stay united on this. We have to fight for the regime's downfall."
Itai Galmudy from Stop The Hate, who also spoke at the protest, told the JC: "It was an honour to help organise a protest at Downing Street in solidarity with the Iranian people and to stand with our Iranian brothers and sisters.
"For two years, during some of our darkest moments, the Iranian community stood with us. Today and every day, we stand with them in their struggle for freedom and human rights. We will be with the Iranian community every step of the way on the path to a free Iran.
"We call on the UK government to listen to the voices of the people and to proscribe the IRGC. This is not only in response to the brutal repression of dissidents within Iran, but also due to documented attempts to intimidate, threaten and commit acts of violence against dissidents here on UK soil.
"Stop the Hate stands firmly against oppression everywhere.
"Free Iran from the Islamic Republic."
To get more news, click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.