Pro-regime attendees of a vigil for Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, gathered in Washington Square Park in New York City on Friday evening, clashed with anti-regime protestors.
A group of New Yorkers gathered to mourn Ayatollah Khamenei, who died in a Feb. 28 strike as part of the U.S. and Israel’s joint attack on Iran, dubbed Operation Epic Fury. The group marketed the vigil as an event honoring “ALL MARTYRS OF AMERIKAN IMPERIALISM.”
As the Khamenei mourners waved Iranian flags and stood before a vigil with images of the now deceased Ayatollah and other American figures like George Floyd and Malcolm X, counterprotestors gathered on the outskirts of the vigil. Videos circulating on social media captured one protester rushing into the vigil and attempting to tear down a poster, resulting in a brawl between the two groups that prompted the New York City Police Department to intervene.
A spokesperson for the NYPD told the Washington Examiner that “three individuals were taken into custody and issued criminal court summonses for disorderly conduct” from the vigil clash.
As the vigil attendees chanted remarks like “death to America, death to Israel,” the counter-protestors included individuals carrying American flags, Israeli flags, and Iranian flags. One Iranian counterprotestor told Fox News they were there in order “to show everyone that Iranians don’t like the regime.”
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The incident occurred nearly one week out from the start of Operation Epic Fury. The U.S. military has hit over 3,000 targets as part of the operation so far, the U.S. Central Command announced on Friday.
President Donald Trump called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” on Friday, and said the regime “will be hit very hard” on Saturday.
