diff --git a/src/components/views/avatars/BaseAvatar.js b/src/components/views/avatars/BaseAvatar.js
index 5862a9d4f1..456539b374 100644
--- a/src/components/views/avatars/BaseAvatar.js
+++ b/src/components/views/avatars/BaseAvatar.js
@@ -145,17 +145,33 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
 
         if (imageUrl === this.state.defaultImageUrl) {
             const initialLetter = this._getInitialLetter(name);
-            return (
-                <span className="mx_BaseAvatar" {...otherProps}>
-                    <EmojiText className="mx_BaseAvatar_initial" aria-hidden="true"
-                            style={{ fontSize: (width * 0.65) + "px",
-                                    width: width + "px",
-                                    lineHeight: height + "px" }}>{initialLetter}</EmojiText>
-                    <img className="mx_BaseAvatar_image" src={imageUrl}
-                        alt="" title={title} onError={this.onError}
-                        width={width} height={height} />
-                </span>
-            );
+            if (onClick != null) {
+                return (
+                    <AccessibleButton element='span' className="mx_BaseAvatar"
+                        onClick={onClick} {...otherProps}
+                    >
+                        <EmojiText className="mx_BaseAvatar_initial" aria-hidden="true"
+                                style={{ fontSize: (width * 0.65) + "px",
+                                        width: width + "px",
+                                        lineHeight: height + "px" }}>{initialLetter}</EmojiText>
+                        <img className="mx_BaseAvatar_image" src={imageUrl}
+                            alt="" title={title} onError={this.onError}
+                            width={width} height={height} />
+                    </AccessibleButton>
+                );
+            } else {
+                return (
+                    <span className="mx_BaseAvatar" {...otherProps}>
+                        <EmojiText className="mx_BaseAvatar_initial" aria-hidden="true"
+                                style={{ fontSize: (width * 0.65) + "px",
+                                        width: width + "px",
+                                        lineHeight: height + "px" }}>{initialLetter}</EmojiText>
+                        <img className="mx_BaseAvatar_image" src={imageUrl}
+                            alt="" title={title} onError={this.onError}
+                            width={width} height={height} />
+                    </span>
+                );
+            }
         }
         if (onClick != null) {
             return (