Iran considers closing British embassy to protest violence

[News_Editor]

Iran considers closing British embassy to protest violence

2011-08-11 00:10:46 GMT+7 (ICT)

TEHRAN (BNO NEWS) -- A senior Iranian lawmaker on Wednesday warned that it is considering to close the British embassy in Tehran to protest the "violent crackdown" on British citizens, referring to riots which have taken place in London and other cities since Saturday.

Iranian lawmakers have previously condemned the events in England as violations of human rights and called on the United Nations to to adopt preventive measures against the "oppression" and "violent crackdown on protesters."

"This is a blatant violation of human rights," Mahmoud Ahmadi Bighash, a member of the Parliamentarian Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy, said on Wednesday when referring to the shooting death of 29-year-old Mark Duggan. He was killed by police on Thursday when they attempted to arrest him.

The arrest led to riots and widespread looting in the Tottenham area of London on Saturday and soon escalated and spread to other parts of England in the following days, mainly because youth and criminal opportunists joined in and not to protest the police shooting.

Bighash said the Iranian parliament will seriously consider to shut down the British embassy in Tehran if the 'violent crackdown' continues, the state-funded Press TV reported. He also called on Iran's Foreign Ministry to summon the British charge d'affairs in Tehran as soon as possible to explain the shooting death of Duggan.

The Iranian lawmaker added that, despite the economic crisis, Britain is engaged in military intervention in Afghanistan and Libya and 'violated their rights at the U.S. and Israel's command.' Bighash also expressed regrets that the funds being used "to slaughter the people" in the Middle East are not being used to improve the living of British people.

The riots in England have so far left four people killed and more than 100 others injured, most of them police officers in London. Around 1,000 people have also been arrested in cities such as London, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-08-11

[Jingthing]

It's a blatant and lame publicity show for internal Iranian purposes to take attention from the actual repressive practices of the government of Iran against their own people. It rates in absurdity to the Iranian political lines that there are no gays in Iran or that the holocaust didn't happen.

Edited August 10, 2011 by Jingthing

[Thongkorn]

But there are no Tanks fireing on theres own country men, but do us a favor and close it because its a waste of time being there,

[Steely Dan]

Mahmoud Ahmadi Bighash

What a fantastic name.

[mjnaus]

It's a blatant and lame publicity show for internal Iranian purposes to take attention from the actual repressive practices of the government of Iran against their own people. It rates in absurdity to the Iranian political lines that there are no gays in Iran or that the holocaust didn't happen.

Yes! And how dare they critisize a "developed" nation such as the UK? For shame! After all everything is as the media wants us to believe and Iran/Libya/Syria are pure evil and all western governments want nothing but the best for there people...

There there

[Ricardo]

They're suppressing the peoples' human-right to riot, burn & loot, Thank-God someone is prepared to stand-up to defend them !

[richard_smith237]

Given Iran's human rights record I find these statements highly hypocritical - it's quite apparent they're presenting a holier than thou approach on the domestic propaganda front.

Perhaps in response to some of the West's excessive and distorted reporting of some of the events occurring there.

[Ulysses G.]

They are having a laugh. You have to give someone credit for a good sense of humor.

[Steely Dan]

It's a blatant and lame publicity show for internal Iranian purposes to take attention from the actual repressive practices of the government of Iran against their own people. It rates in absurdity to the Iranian political lines that there are no gays in Iran or that the holocaust didn't happen.

Yes! And how dare they critisize a "developed" nation such as the UK? For shame! After all everything is as the media wants us to believe and Iran/Libya/Syria are pure evil and all western governments want nothing but the best for there people...

There there

Well done, you have won the days prize for adopting moral equivalency arguments as stupid as those used by the Iranians, and on Thaivisa there is usually stiff competition for this prize. :jap:

[Atmos]

surprised Gaddafi hasn't made comment yet.

For Iran, Libya, and China, U.K. Rioting Is a Time to Taunt

As British law enforcement combats the rioting and looting by young people that has spread outside London, authoritarian regimes around the world, who've long endured Western criticism over their suppression of citizens, are rebuking England--and, one imagines, the West implicitly--for its response to the mayhem and its vision of how to order society more generally.

Here's what they're saying:

• Iran: On Tuesday, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman demanded that the British government listen to the demands of "protesters" and permit "independent human rights organizations to investigate" violations of "civil rights and civil liberties." On Wednesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged British authorities to "correct their brutal behavior," adding that the U.N. Security Council should take action against the U.K. and Britain should empower its people rather than launching military operations in Afghanistan and Libya. Other Iranian lawmakers are piling on, with one characterizing the fatal police shooting of a black man named Mark Duggan last week--which touched off London's riots-as a "blatant violation of human rights" and an example of pervasive racism in British society, and another claiming that "extensive discrimination on weaker classes is a trait of the capitalist system." Politicians have also called for the British embassy in Tehran to be shuttered. Iran used force to squash the protests that erupted after its disputed 2009 presidential election.
• Libya: In Tripoli, which NATO is currently bombing as part of a mission to protect civilians, Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaaim called for British Prime Minister David Cameron and his government to relinquish power because they "have lost all legitimacy" through their "violent repression of peaceful demonstrations by police." He demanded that the U.N. Security Council--the very body that authorized NATO's bombing campaign--"not stay with its arms crossed in the face of the flagrant violation of the rights of the British people." State-run television also urged British rioters to "defeat this British regime" that "killed their brothers" during NATO's intervention in Libya, according to The Telegraph.
• Bahrain: In Bahrain, one of the hot spots of the Arab Spring, an editorial in the independent Gulf Daily News today argues that "if the U.K. hadn't been so occupied fraternising with the political opposition in Bahrain, co-managing a coup in Libya, retreating from its misadventures in Iraq and playing hide and seek with the Taliban in Afghanistan--all at a time when the country's national debt is higher than ever--then it might have realised all was not well in its own backyard." The op-ed wonders why, if the British press is so insistent that the disorder in England is 'pure criminality,' it was "so hard for the same broadcasters and publishers to understand that what happened in Bahrain was not so different, if not worse."
• Zimbabwe: President Robert Mugabe, deviating from a prepared speech to the military on Tuesday, urged the U.K. to turn inward rather than impose sanctions on Zimbabwe for human rights violations and election fraud. "Britain I understand is on fire, London especially and we hope they can extinguish their fire, pay attention to their internal problem and to that fire which is now blazing all over and leave us alone," he declared. "We do not have any fire here and we do not want them to create unnecessary problems in our country."
• China: On Monday, the state-run news agency Xinhua raised questions about the safety of London's 2012 Olympic Games (despite considerable safety concerns preceding Beijing's 2008 Olympics) and a commentator at the state-run People's Daily wrote that while Western powers have long touted Internet freedom and condemned countries like China who control the web, they're now "tasting the bitter fruit [of their complacency] and they can't complain about it" (there are reports that London's riots have been partially fueled by social media). But an op-ed in the state-run Global Times today claims that Chinese news outlets have shown admirable restraint during the London riots, refraining from blaming the British for cracking down on a youth 'revolution,' questioning London's ability to host the Olympics, and probing the ethnic tensions behind the unrest. The op-ed urges the British press to "stop being mean" and follow suit: The riot in London must have something to do with human rights abuses. But it is hypocritical to talk about human rights issues without taking into account of the context.These, however, are what the British and some of its media have done to China.They enjoy ridiculing China's effort in improving its governance and society, often side with violent rioters and even launch official protests to the Chinese government when social conflicts break out in China.

[Atmos]

from The Telegraph; fulla article at header link, much of it repeating previous post

London riots spark shock and gloating around the world

Libya

Libyan state-run Al-Jamahiriyah television ran an English language broadcast addressed to rioting inner city dwellers urging them to "defeat this British regime" which "killed their brothers" by leading Nato military operations to overthrow Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

Yusuf Shakir, the presenter of "Homeland's Desire", pledged that Col. Gaddafi would defend black people who "suffered racial discrimination" and that Libyans would hold demonstrations holding up pictures of Mark Duggan, the man shot by police in Tottenham.

Pakistan

In Pakistan, where seven people died in street violence in Karachi last night, the riots have been met with glee by anti-western Islamist fundamentalists.

"I want to condemn the self-ashamed behaviours of mental slaves of West," wrote Abdullah Ansari wrote in The Pakistan Observer.

*****

However, more damaging to tourism and Britain's reputation abroad were widespread travel warnings yesterday from Britain's closest international partners warning their citizens to "take extreme care when venturing" to London.

Europe

European Union "partner" countries, such as France, Latvia, Italy, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, issued advice yesterday warning their holidaying citizens to be vigilant while visiting Britain.

"It is strongly recommended that French nationals stay away from the crowds that can form in urban centres and should exercise extreme caution in the city's nightlife," said advice from the French embassy yesterday (TUES).

USA

Britain's closest international ally, the United States warned Americans that "the current situation remains fluid" after civil disturbances throughout the country.

"If you find yourself near any civil unrest, leave," the US "citizens' services" website warned. "Do not challenge debate or make unwise comments. This will only increase your chance of becoming a victim of violence."

Edited August 11, 2011 by Atmos

[geriatrickid]

John Bull will awake. Give him time.

[hammered]

Mildly amusing

[samurai]

They are having a laugh. You have to give someone credit for a good sense of humor.

Exactly.

[baboon]

Cheerio,then!

[johna]

Iran's comments are tongue in cheek but, the Brit government's knee jerk reaction that these rioters are simple criminals is also laughable.