Iranian students stormed the British embassy compound today, possibly taking hostages (who may have later been freed), and, in a brutal blow to the British psyche, stealing those two great symbols of the United Kingdom: a picture of the Queen, and a Pulp Fiction poster.

Yes, a Pulp Fiction poster! Why did the Iranian kid take it? And why did a presumably grown human being working as a diplomat in Iran have it framed—framed!—on his (her?) wall? These are, surely, the two most important questions of the riots.

In any event, if there's one thing you can say about Iranian government, besides the fact that it's an unbelievably brutal and repressive theocracy tragically occupying one of the world's great centers of culture and thought, it's that those guys know how to throw a protest. And also, that they fucking hate Britain's guts:

Dozens of Iranian protesters screaming "death to England!" stormed the British embassy compound in Tehran on Tuesday, tore down the British flag and ransacked the offices, according to officials in London, Iranian news dispatches and images broadcast live on Iranian state television.

The assault came a day after Iran's Islamic leaders moved to downgrade relations with Britain because of harsh financial sanctions imposed by the West - and Britain in particular - over Iran's suspect nuclear program, and it appeared to be the most serious diplomatic breach between the two countries in more than 20 years of troubled relations.

It's unclear whether or not any hostages were taken during the raid; Iranian state television claimed that six embassy workers were being held by the hardline students, then withdrew the claim, then claimed that Iranian police had rescued six British nationals. Protests are ongoing, and the compound is likely to be stormed again.

[NYT, Reuters, image via Getty]