The drill rapper Tony Mohraz, known as 021kid, has become a flashpoint in a bitter struggle among Iranian opposition groups playing out on London streets. His music video, which calls for violence against the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), has been reported to the Metropolitan Police as incitement to murder.
Rapper's Provocative Lyrics
In the video, filmed in Golders Green, north London, Mohraz raps: "Basij, one, two, shoot. IRGC, one, two, shoot. Mojahedin, one, two, shoot," while miming a weapon. The track is a remix of an Israeli hip-hop war anthem. Mohraz, an advocate for the return of the Pahlavi dynasty, specifically Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the late shah, targets the MEK, a former armed opposition group now claiming to seek a democratic secular Iran.
Escalating Tensions
Scuffles at anti-regime protests have required police intervention, with tensions between pro-Pahlavi supporters and MEK backers. Laila Jazayeri, director of the Association of Anglo-Iranian Women in the UK and a prominent MEK supporter, filed a complaint after Mohraz's video, calling it a "terrifying and direct incitement to murder." She also expressed concern over pro-Pahlavi supporters wearing insignia of Savak, the shah's feared secret police.
"This is not harmless nostalgia. It poses a direct threat to democratic discourse," Jazayeri said. The Met police confirmed they are assessing a report of threatening behaviour related to the song.
Broader Conflict
The divide has spilled into community spaces. Around Finchley Road's "Little Tehran," restaurant owners report pressure from pro-Pahlavi supporters to display the monarchy's flag. In March, a Nowruz event at Westminster Hall was disrupted by three self-identified pro-Pahlavi supporters before being ejected. One intruder, Niyak Ghorbani, posted on TikTok: "We came to turn their Eid into mourning."
Elahe Jamali, another intruder, claimed the MEK are "Islamists and Marxists" who hijack Nowruz. The MEK was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK from 2001 to 2008.
Voices from Both Sides
Ray Torabi, a former MEK member now backing Pahlavi as a transitional leader, acknowledged extremists among pro-Pahlavi supporters but said the MEK is a "cult" with total control over members. Haleh Blake, an anti-regime organiser, condemned Mohraz's lyrics but noted abuse on social media is mutual. Sanam Vakil of Chatham House said the infighting only helps the Islamic Republic's narrative of a divided opposition.
MEK representatives deny being a cult. Mohraz declined to comment. Reza Pahlavi, when asked about harassment claims, said: "I've always spoken against any kind of political violence or intimidation."
