A tense confrontation broke out in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park on Friday when a man who tried to tear down a poster of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a vigil was attacked by several people, prompting police to intervene and lead to multiple detentions.Video circulating online showed the man shouting “Take this down!” as he pulled down a large poster of Khamenei displayed at the rally. Within moments, several people rushed toward him, knocking him to the ground and punching him before New York Police Department (NYPD) officers intervened.Video from the scene showed the man with a bloody nose being detained along with others involved in the scuffle as police moved quickly to separate the crowd.
Why organize a vigil?
The vigil attended by about two dozen people was organized to mourn the death of Khamenei, who was reportedly killed last week in an Israeli airstrike targeting the Iranian leader.Tensions escalated when the man, Rami Even-Esh, confronted participants and removed a poster of the Iranian leader from a memorial display that included candles, flowers and Arab headscarves, according to witnesses.“He was a terrorist who killed American soldiers, and I thought it was crazy that I was there and there was a vigil, so I took the sign down,” Evan Esh told reporters as police escorted him away. “I feel like it’s the right thing to do. I feel like someone should stand up for the Iranian people.”Police said several people were detained after the altercation.The rally also drew a crowd of counter-protesters, some of whom waved American, Israeli and pre-1979 Iranian flags while chanting slogans such as “America” and “Death to terrorists,” live video showed.Witnesses said the clashes began after the man tried to remove an image of Khamenei displayed on a makeshift memorial table.Video of the incident shows the melee quickly escalating with one man punching and kicking the man before others joined in as the crowd chanted and moved forward.An Iranian immigrant who opposed the vigil criticized the demonstrations and support for the Iranian leader.“They just didn’t get the message,” she said. “My family is in Iran, and people there are fighting against the regime.”Organizers of the vigil described Khamenei’s death as an “assassination” and said he defended Iran and opposed Western influence.The chaotic scenes come amid rising tensions in the Middle East after a series of attacks on Iranian leaders and retaliatory attacks by Tehran escalated conflict in the region over the past week.
