An Iranian refugee faced an angry mob bellowing “Nazi scum off our streets” as he filmed them during a counter demo against Tommy Robinson’s march today.
Thousands of supporters of Mr Robinson marched through London towards Whitehall earlier today for a “Unite the Kingdom” rally amid a heavy police presence.
There were also thousands of counter-protesters on the streets attending a rally organised by Stand Up to Racism, with police trying to keep the two groups apart.
Mahyar Tousi, who live streams and records video of news events, was filming a group of counter-demonstrators as they marched through the capital when they appeared to chant the abuse in his direction.
Mr Tousi arrived in the country as a child with his mother who sought refugee status from her native Iran.
Video of the clash was posted on X with some posters claiming it was ironic the group was aiming its anger at someone whose mother had arrived in the UK as a refugee.
A man, who posted footage online, can be heard in the video remonstrating with the group.
He said: “Why are you shouting at a refugee… screaming at people you don’t agree with… so if you’re Iranian you are not welcome?”
Posters on X appeared to agree.
One wrote: “Middle-class white folk screaming at an Iranian refugee calling him a Nazi, you really couldn’t make it up!”
Another said: “A white British ‘Refugees welcome’ crowd is hounding @MahyarTousi, who arrived as a refugee, out of a public place while calling him a Nazi. Do they not see the irony here?”
Mr Tousi retweeted the footage and posted: “Today in London, the violent far-left communists threatened to kill me and said ‘shoot yourself like Adolf Hitler’
“Let me get this straight: My mother was saved from Iran by the British embassy to come to the UK to give me a fresh start in life as a kid. Now, these commies want me dead. Just like the IRGC in Iran. Never give up. Never surrender.”
The Met Police Contact Centre also posted asking that Mr Tousi make contact.
However, it was also argued the group was chanting generally, and Mr Tousi, who was a supporter of Mr Robinson’s march, was with his own security had placed himself in their way by walking backwards and filming them.
Mr Robinson was not at today’s march after he was yesterday remanded in custody ahead of his appearance at the High Court on Monday for a civil case where he is accused of breaching an injunction connected to an earlier defamation case won by a Syrian refugee.
The Met Police said there had been just five arrests over the whole day across both protests.
It posted on X: “The Uniting the Kingdom demonstration has now concluded and only a few people remain in the vicinity. We are working with the organisers to get Whitehall reopened in its entirety as quickly as possible.”
