Political Theatre, Not a Call for Revenge

Why the Splashing of Colour on Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi Should Be Met with Discipline, Not Anger

An evidence-based article for an Iranian public audience

Prepared 24 April 2026

Introduction

The incident in Berlin on 23 April 2026, in which Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi was reportedly splashed with red liquid during a visit connected to the German parliament, understandably caused anger among many Iranians. For millions of Iranians, Reza Pahlavi is not merely a political figure. He represents continuity, national dignity, secularism, territorial integrity, and the hope of transition away from the Islamic Republic’s sectarian, theocratic, authoritarian system.

However, the emotional reaction to such an incident must be carefully distinguished from political wisdom. Anger may be understandable, but revenge is not justifiable. A mature national movement must know the difference between justifiable emotion and dangerous emotional excess.

The central point is this: splashing colour, throwing food, eggs, pies, cakes, milkshakes, or similar objects at political figures is not unusual in European protest culture. It is often illegal, disrespectful, and sometimes criminal, but it is also part of a long pattern of symbolic political theatre in democratic societies. A serious political movement must respond through law, public criticism, humour, restraint, and political messaging — not through retaliation.

1. Two Types of Political Emotion

Political emotions are not all the same. Some emotions are aligned with reason, history, and moral judgement. The affection many Iranians feel for the Pahlavi family belongs to this category. It is rooted in memory, national identity, historical comparison, and the bitter experience of 47 years under the Islamic Republic.

For many Iranians, the Pahlavi name is associated with modernisation, secular statehood, national sovereignty, women’s visibility in public life, territorial integrity, and a vision of Iran as a proud, stable, respected country. This is different from irrational political worship.

The early revolutionary passion around Ayatollah Khomeini and Islamist ideology was of another nature. It became ecstatic, absolutist, sacrificial, and at times death-driven. It was not ordinary political loyalty. It was a fusion of religion, revolutionary intoxication, martyrdom culture, and mass obedience. The Iran-Iraq War showed the catastrophic consequences of this kind of emotion, especially when young people were encouraged to sacrifice themselves in the name of religion, revolution, and the Supreme Leader.

Love for a national symbol can be justifiable when it is disciplined by wisdom. Love becomes dangerous when it turns into revenge, fanaticism, or blind obedience. The Pahlavi movement must not reproduce the emotional pathology of the Islamic Revolution. It must become its opposite.

2. The Berlin Incident: Serious, But Not Historically Unusual

The reported Berlin incident involving Reza Pahlavi should be condemned. Public figures should be protected. Political disagreement should not be expressed through physical harassment. German police and security authorities should investigate the event properly.

But Iranian supporters must also understand the broader European context. In Europe, symbolic attacks on public figures using eggs, paint, flour, milkshakes, pies, cakes, or similar materials have occurred repeatedly. They are usually intended to humiliate, interrupt, or create a media image. They are often performed by activists, students, fringe groups, or individual protesters. They are not always part of a large conspiracy. They are not necessarily signs of a major political threat. They are often provocative acts designed precisely to trigger emotional overreaction.

If supporters of Reza Pahlavi respond with threats, revenge fantasies, or physical retaliation, the story changes immediately. The international media would no longer focus on the disrespect shown to Reza Pahlavi. It would focus on whether monarchist supporters are violent, far-right, intolerant, or dangerous. That would be a strategic disaster.

3. Publicly Reported European Examples from the Last Decade

The following examples show that this type of protest action is not unusual in Europe. The cases vary in seriousness. Some involved sitting heads of state, monarchs, senior political leaders, or major political figures. This is not a complete Europe-wide database; it is a selected list of publicly reported examples useful for public education and political de-escalation.

4. What These Incidents Usually Mean

These actions are designed to create an image. A politician covered in egg, milkshake, paint, or liquid becomes a visual headline. The activist may not have a sophisticated political argument; the act itself becomes the message.

They are also intended to provoke anger. The attacker often wants supporters of the target to overreact. If the supporters respond with threats or violence, the attacker gains moral advantage.

They may be used to frame the target. If the target’s supporters behave aggressively afterwards, the movement can be portrayed as extremist, authoritarian, or unsafe.

Finally, these actions are often theatre rather than serious political struggle. They are performative. They are designed for cameras, social media, and symbolic humiliation. Therefore, the wisest response is not revenge. The wisest response is to deny the attacker the emotional escalation they are seeking.

5. Why Iranian Monarchists Must Avoid the Far-Right Trap

The Iranian constitutional monarchist movement has a major strategic advantage: it can present itself as a mainstream national movement. Its strongest message is not hatred. Its strongest message is order, secularism, national sovereignty, modernisation, good governance, and friendship with the democratic world.

Iranian monarchism, if presented wisely, can be understood by Western governments as a stabilising project: a movement for a secular, democratic, pro-Western Iran that respects its neighbours, normalises relations with Israel, builds constructive relations with the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, and ends the Islamic Republic’s proxy-war model.

But this image can be damaged if the movement appears angry, vengeful, conspiratorial, or violent. The Islamic Republic wants to describe its opponents as extremists. Some ideological opponents also try to portray monarchists as reactionary, authoritarian, or fascistic. Any uncontrolled act of revenge would give these opponents exactly the image they want.

The future monarchy movement must not look like a far-right street movement. It must look like a disciplined national-democratic movement.

6. The Correct Response: Law, Discipline, and Moral Superiority

The correct response to the Berlin incident should be firm but disciplined. Iranians can condemn the act. They can ask German authorities to investigate. They can demand better security for Reza Pahlavi. They can criticise the activist politically and morally. They can explain why the action was offensive to millions of Iranians who have suffered under the Islamic Republic.

But they should not threaten the person involved. They should not call for revenge. They should not dox, harass, intimidate, or physically target the activist. They should not turn a foolish act of political theatre into a crisis that damages the image of the Iranian opposition.

A mature movement responds like this: We condemn the attack. We ask for lawful investigation. We refuse revenge. We remain disciplined. We continue our national mission.

7. Why This Matters for Iran’s Transition

Iran is not dealing with a normal government. The Islamic Republic is a sectarian, authoritarian, theocratic regime with a long history of repression, executions, hostage-taking, proxy warfare, ideological policing, and violence against its own people.

The Iranian people are exhausted. Their anger is understandable. Many have lost family members. Many have been imprisoned, tortured, exiled, humiliated, or economically destroyed. For many Iranians, Reza Pahlavi represents the most visible national figure capable of symbolising a transition to a secular and democratic order.

Precisely because of this desperation, discipline becomes more important, not less. A nation that wants to move from dictatorship to constitutional democracy must show the world that it is ready for responsibility. It must show that it can distinguish between anger and justice. It must show that it can protect its symbols without becoming fanatical. It must show that it can love a national figure without turning that love into political worship.

The Islamic Republic was born from fanaticism. A future Iran must be born from disciplined patriotism.

8. A Message to Iranian Supporters of Reza Pahlavi

The insult in Berlin was painful. It was disrespectful. It was offensive to many Iranians. But it was not an existential attack on the Iranian nation. It was not a reason for revenge. It was not a reason to lose discipline.

Reza Pahlavi’s political strength comes partly from his calmness, patience, and refusal to descend into the language of hatred. His supporters must reflect that same discipline.

The movement must say clearly: We are not Islamists. We are not a revenge movement. We are not a street militia. We are not a far-right movement. We are a national movement for Iran’s liberation, secular democracy, constitutional order, and responsible relations with the world. That message is far more powerful than anger.

Conclusion

The splashing of colour or liquid on Reza Pahlavi in Berlin should be condemned, but it should also be understood within the broader European tradition of symbolic protest against public figures. Eggs, flour, paint, milkshakes, pies, and similar objects have been used against presidents, monarchs, party leaders, and senior politicians across Europe.

These acts are provocative, disrespectful, and often unlawful. But they are not unusual. The real test is not what the activist did. The real test is how the Iranian national movement responds.

If supporters respond with revenge, they damage their own cause. If they respond with discipline, they show the world that Iran’s future can be mature, lawful, secular, democratic, and responsible.

The Iranian people have suffered enough under a regime built on rage, ideology, martyrdom, and revenge. The future of Iran must not be built on the same emotional architecture. It must be built on wisdom, restraint, courage, justice, and national dignity.

References and Further Reading

1. Associated Press / Reuters reporting on the Berlin incident involving Reza Pahlavi, 23 April 2026.

2. BBC News, reports on eggs thrown at King Charles III during public visits in York and Luton, November-December 2022.

3. Reuters, report on an egg thrown at French President Emmanuel Macron during a Lyon visit, September 2021.

4. BBC News and The Guardian, reports on tomatoes or small projectiles thrown toward Emmanuel Macron during his Cergy visit, April 2022.

5. BBC News, report on Nigel Farage being hit by a milkshake during a Newcastle campaign visit, May 2019.

6. BBC News, report on Jeremy Corbyn being hit by an egg during a mosque visit, March 2019.

7. France 24 and French press reporting on Jean-Luc Melenchon being covered with flour during a public event, June 2021.

8. BBC News and French media reporting on Marine Le Pen being hit by an egg during the 2017 presidential campaign.

9. Gene Sharp, The Politics of Nonviolent Action, 1973.

10. Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan, Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict, 2011.

11. Martha C. Nussbaum, Political Emotions: Why Love Matters for Justice, 2013.