A confrontation broke out during a memorial event for Ali Khamenei in central New York City, leading to several arrests after clashes between demonstrators and counter-protesters.
Supporters of the government of Iran held a gathering at Washington Square Park in Manhattan, setting up a memorial display with candles, photographs of Khamenei, and Palestinian keffiyeh scarves.
According to witnesses, a passerby removed a poster of Khamenei that had been placed in the park by participants in the memorial. Shortly afterward, several attendees confronted him, and the situation quickly escalated into a physical altercation.
Officers from the New York City Police Department who were present at the scene intervened to break up the fight. Video from the incident shows police detaining Aven-Ash and placing him in handcuffs while he appeared to have blood on his face.
Speaking later to the New York Post, the man explained why he removed the poster. “He is a terrorist who killed American soldiers," he said. “I thought it was crazy that there was a memorial for him, so I took the sign down. I felt it was the right thing to do. I felt someone needed to stand up for the Iranian people."
Police said several additional protesters from both sides were arrested during the disturbance.
Event organizers had distributed leaflets describing Khamenei’s death as “an assassination by forces of the U.S. government." The materials also praised Khamenei’s leadership following the Iranian Revolution, which they said ended a U.S.-backed government and marked the start of Iran’s resistance to Western influence.
Nearby, dozens of counter-protesters gathered and chanted slogans expressing support for the United States and Israel.