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AnalysisWorld

The unholy alliance between pro-Palestine protesters and the Islamic Republic

Pro-Palestine activists often present themselves as champions of justice. But how does that square with support for the Islamic Republic of Iran, a regime widely documented for human rights abuses?
Gideon Cohen
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A protester raises a portrait of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei across the Sydney Harbour Bridge during a pro-Palestinian rally on August 3, 2025 (Photo by Saeed Khan /AFP via Getty Images)

Published: 2 June 2026

Last updated: 2 June 2026

The young Westerners who wave flags of the Islamic Republic at pro-Palestine rallies are a distressing sight for Diaspora Iranian Kowsar Eftekhari. 

“The Islamic Republic shot me in the eye!” she shouted at a rally in Berlin earlier this month, displaying the eye lost when she was attacked by the regime’s security forces during the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom protests in Iran. 

The response, captured on video here and here, was violent. A young woman wearing a Palestinian sticker on her face tried to grab Eftekhari. Several men surrounded her shouting “Allahu Akbar” and “Khamenei Akbar” (“Khamenei is the greatest”). 

“These are people who are not even Iranian, yet Khamenei is like an idol to them. This is dangerous for the West,” Eftekhari told The Jerusalem Post.

A pro-Palestine protestor attempts to grab Kowsar Eftekhari <br>(screenshot from Instagram: @iranintlenglish)
A pro-Palestine protestor attempts to grab Kowsar Eftekhari
(screenshot from Instagram: @iranintlenglish)

Pro-Palestine protesters’ support for the Islamic Republic

Eftekari’s experience is a dramatic case of a growing tendency for pro-Palestinian activists to align themselves with the regime in Iran.

Support for the Islamic Republic has long been an occasional feature of the movement. During a march on the Sydney Opera House last year, an attendee drew media attention with a poster of the regime’s former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

However, since the outbreak of the US–Israel–Iran war, pro-regime materials have become increasingly prominent. In major cities worldwide, pro-Palestine demonstrations now regularly feature large Islamic Republic flags and portraits of the regime’s leaders.

This week, a video posted by ILTV showed a Gaza flotilla activist returning to Dublin while holding the Islamic Republic’s flag. In the footage, he describes members of the “Axis of Resistance” as “heroes”. The movement’s support for Hamas has become more overt too. In January, a large group of protestors in Queens, New York, waved Palestinian flags and shouted: “Say it loud, say it clear, we support Hamas here!”

Human rights double standard

Pro-Palestine activists frequently describe themselves as advocates for human rights.

So why do they support the regime in Iran, whose failure on failure on human rights criteria is well-documented?

In January, it was reported that thousands of Iranians were killed by the Islamic Republic’s security forces, during a crackdown on anti-regime protests. The regime is now executing people arrested for protesting, while the civilian population has been in an internet blackout for nearly three months.

Matthew Nouriel, a Jewish, Iranian-American activist and Director of Community Outreach and engagement at JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa) believes the alignment shows the degree to which Western pro-Palestinian protesters are captured by Islamist and terrorist thinking. 

“This ‘pro-Palestine’ movement is born out of Soviet, Islamist, and pan-Arab propaganda, much of which is propagated or created by the regime in Iran. It’s essentially two sides of the same coin,” he says. 

“Of course, they’re not going to side with us [Iranians]. “The regime in Iran is the major funder of Hamas, the Houthis and all of these groups that are being branded as resistance. So, it’s not that shocking for me, but I think for a lot of Iranians it’s a really big wake up call to see that.”

Khosro Isfahani, Research Director at NUFDI (National Union for Democracy in Iran), similarly argues the movement is shaped by a broader ideological framework rooted in hostility towards Western society. 

“These movements have deep roots in anti-American rhetoric from the Soviet era,” he says. “They perceive the United States as the root of all evil. Their primary priority is the dismantlement of the US-led civilisation, which they label as colonialist. Everything else, including human rights, is secondary to their campaign.”

He adds that this lens shapes how different conflicts are prioritised: “In their book, everything is measured based on its impact on the US and its geopolitical hegemony. And this crowd is well aware that Iranians represent the largest pro-American population in the Middle East.”

Left and right-wing media figures target Iranians

Media commentators who condemn Israel are also outspoken defenders of the regime in Iran, both on the left and right.

Ana Kasparian, a host and producer of the US-based progressive program The Young Turks, accused Israel and Mossad of “co-opting” the Iranians’ uprising and forcing the US into a war. Kasparian has said that “the Jewish lobby does control the US” and called Israel a “despicable nation built on lies and established on blood-soaked land.” 

Referring to Israelis, she said: “You are hated internationally ... not because you're Jewish, it’s because you slaughter innocent people. It’s because you think you’re God’s chosen people when you act like absolute demons.” Regarding the war with the regime in Iran, she recently declared: “I want Iran to have nukes. I want Pakistan to give Iran nukes right now. That’s what I want. I want this to end.”

On the other end of the spectrum, far-right streamer Nick Fuentes has been equally hostile towards Iranians, as well as Jews and Israel. When asked on a livestream if he would speak with Iranians protesting the Islamic Republic, Fuentes said:

“Fuck those people. I hope Iran [i.e., the Islamic Republic regime] crushes them. I hope they get fucking destroyed. They’re traitors. They are traitors to their country, and I hope they get fucking crushed … You know, Iran [the regime] is fighting for their sovereignty. Israel is blowing up their country.”

Nouriel believes these commentators inflame political tensions for profit, saying: “I don’t take these people seriously. I think they’re dangerous, because there are people that do take them seriously, but to me, they’re completely unserious. 

“I think it’s very transparent that they do what they do to put themselves out there, so that they can line their pockets off the backs of these conflicts. And unfortunately, Iranians and Jews are on the receiving end of this vitriol. I think it’s incredibly irresponsible.”

A growing bond between Jews and Iranians

The Iranian community’s experience since January parallels that of the Jewish community after October 7, 2023. Following the Hamas massacre, many progressive, left-wing activists and organisations were largely silent or slow to condemn it, while pro-Palestine groups quickly sought to deny or justify it.

“Being a Jewish person, October 7 definitely prepared me for this sort of thing, because I’ve seen it before, and I've seen it coming from the same crowd of people,” says Nouriel. “So why would it be any different with Iran?”

For Isfahani, the hostility has been especially pronounced in activist circles.

“The situation is worse in LGBTQ and feminist spaces, which have been hijacked by anti-American and anti-Israel mobs,” he says. “These spaces were supposed to champion the rights of marginalised people. They have turned into vehicles for marginalising those who don’t fit their ideological mold.”

Nouriel sees similarities in the ways Iranians and Jews have been treated.

“I think more people now understand what the Jewish community has experienced, because it’s now happening to Iranians as well,” says Nouriel. “So, the silver lining is that there’s this understanding and kinship that's growing and that’s ultimately a good thing.”

Isfahani also believes the shared experience has strengthened ties between the two groups.

“The violence and hostility that Diaspora Jews and Iranians have experienced over the past few years have significantly strengthened the historic bond between the two nations,” he says.

That bond is clear to see at Free Iran rallies, where Iranians often wave Israeli flags alongside pre-revolution Iranian flags. In the same way that Iranians attended pro-Israel demonstrations after October 7, a growing number of Jewish people have shown up for the Free Iran marches since January.

“It’s an ancient connection that we’ve had since the Jewish expulsion into Babylon, and then Cyrus the Great,” says Nouriel. “It’s such a beautiful unity, because there’s not only such a rich history, but a deep understanding of each other’s pain.”

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About the author

Gideon Cohen

Gideon Cohen

Gideon Cohen is a Melbourne-based journalist and a content creator and editorial assistant at TJI. He holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Melbourne and his work has appeared in various publications including Broadsheet and The Jewish Chronicle.

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