A tense confrontation broke out at Washington Square Park in Manhattan on Friday when a man attempting to tear down a poster of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a vigil was attacked by several people, prompting police intervention and multiple detentions.
Video circulating online showed the man shouting “Take this down!” as he pulled down a large poster of Khamenei displayed at the gathering.
Within moments, several individuals rushed toward him, knocking him to the ground and punching and kicking him before New York Police Department (NYPD) officers stepped in.
Video from the scene showed officers moving quickly to separate the groups as the man, bleeding from the nose, was taken into custody along with others involved in the scuffle.
Why was the vigil organised?
The vigil, attended by roughly two dozen people, had been organized to mourn the death of Khamenei, who was reportedly killed last week during Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian leadership.
According to witnesses, tensions escalated when the man, identified as Rami Even-Esh, confronted participants and removed the poster of the Iranian leader from a memorial display that included candles, flowers and keffiyeh scarves.
“He’s a terrorist who’s killed American soldiers and I think it was insane that I was right there and there was a vigil, so I just took the sign down,” Even-Esh told reporters as police escorted him away. “I felt that was the right thing to do. I feel like someone should show up for the Iranian people.”
Police said multiple individuals were detained following the altercation.
The gathering also drew a group of counter-protesters, some waving American, Israeli and pre-1979 Iranian flags while chanting slogans including “USA” and “death to the terrorist,” according to video from the scene.
Witnesses said the confrontation began after the man attempted to remove images of Khamenei displayed at a makeshift memorial table.
Video of the incident shows the scuffle quickly escalating, with one person punching the man before others joined in as the crowd shouted and pushed forward.
An Iranian immigrant who opposed the vigil criticized the demonstration and the show of support for the Iranian leadership.
“They just don’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,” saying he had defended Iran and opposed Western influence.
The chaotic scene unfolded amid heightened tensions in the Middle East following a series of strikes targeting Iranian leadership and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks, which have escalated the conflict in the region over the past week.
