Protester puts pre-Islamic revolution Iran flag on London embassy

• A protester scaled the balcony of the Iranian Embassy in London on Saturday, briefly replacing the Islamic Republic's flag with the pre-1979 "Lion and Sun" flag.
• Iran has seen nationwide protests beginning on December 28 over economic collapse.

A protester briefly replaced the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran on its London embassy with the former flag, flown before 1979, during a demonstration Saturday.

A video posted to social media showed a man on the balcony of the embassy, near Hyde Park, replacing the country's current flag with the one used during the rule of the ousted shah to cheers from hundreds of demonstrators below.

The old tri-colored flag with a lion and sun -- used in Iran before the Islamic revolution -- stayed in place for several minutes before being removed.

The footage was corroborated by witnesses on site speaking to news agencies such as AFP.

London police, in an online post, said that after the flag incident "additional officers are being deployed to prevent any disorder" and to protect the Iranian embassy.

They said they had arrested two people, "one for aggravated trespass and assault on an emergency worker and one for aggravated trespass" and they were seeking another individual for "trespass".

Iran has been roiled by street protests since December 28, which have since taken hold nationwide. Initially triggered by a devaluation of the country's currency and growing concerns over the cost of living, they have since spiralled into mass demonstrations calling for an end to the Islamic Republic.

Iranian authorities have cut off internet access in the country, and NGOs and monitoring organisations say they fear that blackouts will be used to crack down on the protesters. The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights claims at least 51 people have been killed so far, including nine children, with hundreds wounded.