Iranians protest about police 'savagery'... in BRITAIN during crackdown on rioters

15 August 2011 | 18:32 Code : 15450 Latest Headlines
 DailyMail--Scores of hardline Iranian university students gathered outside the British embassy in Tehran today to condemn Britain’s 'savage' suppression of a 'popular uprising' against the 'dictatorial royal regime of England'.

Many chose to wear masks of Mark Duggan, the man shot dead by police that sparked the riots, during their state-sponsored protest while others displayed placards.

One poster brought by a protester said 'Death to the corrupt British monarchy' while another proclaimed 'Royal wedding equals economic austerity.'

Police were on hand to ensure that events did not turn violent. 

The head of Iran’s Basij street militia, Brigadier Mohammad Reza Naghdi, predicted on Saturday that the 'popular awakening' in Britain was 'just the beginning' and it 'would spread to the heart of Europe'.

And a senior parliamentarian, Parviz Sorouri, said: 'The world is now coming to the conclusion that Western civilisation has no foundation and is unreal.'

In the past week, Iran’s authoritarian regime has teased London with offers to send human rights observers to Britain.

They even offered to deploy male and female units of its feared militia on the streets of London, Liverpool and Birmingham.

Naghdi said his forces could serve as a peacekeeping buffer between 'the deprived people' and 'the oppressive royal regime'.

The Iranian regime has also frequently used Britain as a way to divert attention from its own problems.

Last week President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad condemned the 'savage crackdown' by British police on rampaging youths whom he portrayed as peaceful protesters.

He advised politicians in London to 'hear the voice of the people Parliamentarians and conservative newspapers in Tehran have variously blamed the turmoil in Britain on human rights violations, 'chronic injustice', racism, social deprivation and the rise of student tuition fees.

London’s response to Tehran has been both wry and robust.

Britain’s top diplomat in the city said on Thursday that London was happy to discuss its handling of the street unrest.

But Jane Marriott, Britain’s charge d’affaires, hoped that Iran would reciprocate by allowing a visit by the UN to investigate the 'international community’s grave concerns about ongoing human rights violations within Iran'. 

Tehran has so far steadfastly refused to do so.