Watched by a heavy police presence, the protesters outside the Iranian Embassy – who shouted “Woman, life, freedom”, “Down with the regime” and urged the crowds to “say her name” – do not believe them.Ms Amini’s family have publicly disputed her cause of death, pointing out she was healthy with no history of heart issues and accused Iranian police of beating their loved one to death.
This claim triggered a nationwide uprising that lasted weeks immediately after her death, and Ms Amini became a symbol for the modern Iranian protest movement. On Saturday, a march from the Iranian Embassy to a rally in Trafalgar Square was among the protests which took place in the capital, and globally, to mark the first anniversary of her death.Recalling Ms Amini’s death, Elham Karimpour, a 31-year-old protester at the London demonstration, said: “It is not the first time and if we do not topple the regime, it will not be the last time. Iranians nationwide and globally were not surprised – they were just heartbroken.
Ms Karimpour was among a number of women of Iranian/British women who took part in demonstrations in London, but because of their links their Middle East homeland, did not feel free to give their full details.She said: “We have come out because we want to free Iran so the next generation are able to be free, so they can have freedom of speech, freedom of expression and so that women can be able to freely dance in the street because at the moment they can not.
Ms Amini became a symbol for the modern Iranian protest movement. The uprising was one of the largest challenges to Iran’s theocracy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.