Dozens of people gathered in Manchester on Wednesday night to attend a candlelit vigil for the Iranian supreme leader killed by Israel and the US on Saturday, ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prompting a significantly larger counter-protest celebrating his death to take place nearby.

Around 100 people were estimated by local media to have attended the vigil in the center of the British city for the late Iranian leader, whose 36-year rule over the Islamic Republic was marked by his hatred of the West — particularly the United States and Israel — and his regime’s brutal treatment of the Iranian public.

By contrast, local media estimated that between 300 and 400 people, including Iranians and members of the local Jewish community, gathered for a counter-protest across the street, with heavy police presence separating the two events.

The vigil for Khamenei was promoted by the Friends of the Islamic Centre of Manchester, local media reported, although it was not clear whether the group was directly responsible for organizing the event, as posters attributed it to only “the Muslim Community.”

The Telegraph newspaper reported that the Ahlul-Bayt Islamic Society at Manchester University was also heavily involved in the vigil, and had promoted it as an event “honoring the Ayatollah.”

In images from the vigil, black-and-white photographs of Khamenei could be seen propped against walls and laid out on a table draped in black, alongside electric candles and white flowers.

A large sign on the table........

© The Times of Israel