Golders Green memorial wall fire: the target was a photo of Prince Reza Pahlavi

Ali Falahi, a 46-year-old Iranian-British citizen living in Ilford, east London, who has admitted setting fire to a cabinet beside the memorial wall for the fallen of the January uprising in Golders Green, London, said at Harrow Crown Court on Friday, 16 October 2026 that his aim had been to burn a photo of Prince Reza Pahlavi.

According to Lana Wood, the judge in the case, Mr Falahi holds Prince Reza Pahlavi responsible for the death of his cousin in the anti-regime protests in Iran, and says there was no wider political motive or hate; his anger, he says, arose from the grief of that loss. Oliver Massey, the prosecutor, said he had no information contradicting this motive, but that the prosecution believes the defendant also intended to damage the cabinet itself and was reckless as to whether the memorial wall would be damaged.

Details of the attack on the memorial wall for the fallen

The fire broke out at around 00:15 London time on Monday, 27 April 2026, in a cabinet beside the memorial wall on Lymes Avenue. The wall was set up by the Iranian group "Mega Rally" in memory of the thousands of fallen who were killed by the Islamic Republic's forces in the crackdown on the January uprising; part of it is also dedicated to the victims of Hamas's attack on the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023. The group said the fire was quickly spotted and put out, and did not reach the wall itself.

London's counter-terrorism police led the investigation and described the case as one of a wave of arson attacks that in recent months had targeted London's Jewish and Iranian communities. Mr Falahi admitted a charge of arson this summer. His sentencing was put off to 27 November 2026 because he wanted to change his lawyer; a special hearing will be held that day to establish his real intent. Until then he is free on bail.

Background: the Prince's calls and the Islamic Republic's violence

Prince Reza Pahlavi has repeatedly called on Iranians in recent months to stand up to the Islamic Republic; responsibility for the killing of the protesters in the January uprising, however, lies with the repressive forces who opened fire on the people. The case made news in a week when the campaign by some associations against awarding a freedom prize to Prince Reza Pahlavi had also stirred controversy. The Golders Green memorial wall is one of the symbols of solidarity of Iranians abroad with the fallen, and the attack on it drew a wide reaction from London's Iranian community.

The memorial wall for the fallen in Golders Green remained intact; the target of the fire was a photo of Prince Reza Pahlavi.