My first reaction when I saw this was to flash on 1979:
Protesters Storm British Embassy in Tehran
But then, I had to smile when I read this blurb leading the NYT site:
In an assault Britain called “utterly unacceptable,” Iranian protesters entered the British Embassy on Tuesday, chanting “death to England,” pulling down a flag and ransacking offices.
Utterly unacceptable, indeed. And insupportable, I might add, if I may do so without being charged with rash hyperbole.
Oh, and by the way… the sun may have set on the Empire, but when all is said and done, I’m going to bet on the culture that says “utterly unacceptable” over the one that gets so whipped up by an ayatollah that it runs amok screaming “death to England” and destroying Her Majesty’s property.
And now, let’s drink to the King. Or to the Queen, if that’s all you’ve got.
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The British sense of understatement reminds me of the pro-war comments that the slaughter of children in places like Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan is merely “colateral damage”.
That is a very odd association.