A woman stands in front of Police officers, on June 1, 2020, in downtown Las Vegas, as they take part in a "Black lives matter" rally in response to the recent death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died while in police custody. (Photo by AFP)
Iran’s foreign minister slams Europe’s double standards on protest actions in different parts of the world, calling on the Europeans — who have a habit of jumping to conclusions on demonstrations in non-Western states — to break their “deafening” silence on “scenes of brutality” in the US
In a post on his Twitter account on Tuesday, Mohammad Javad Zarif highlighted the heavy-handed police crackdown on anti-racism protesters and media workers covering the events in the US.
The US cities, Zarif wrote, are the scenes of brutality against protesters and the press” in the aftermath of the choking to death of unarmed African-American George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis last week.
“Europe—quick to be judge & jury about non-Western societies—keeps deafeningly silent,” added the minister. “If it wants to keep lips sealed now, it should always keep them that way.”
Angry protests are spreading across the United States following Floyd’s tragic death.
Police have responded with tear gas canisters and rubber bullets to the protests that have so far engulfed at least 30 US cities. Minnesota, where the murder took place, has even activated the National Guard against the protesters in a rare move.
In recent days, many journalists have had tense encounters with the police during the nationwide demonstrations against racism and police brutality.
‘US attempts to stifle reporters’
Iran’s Foreign Ministry also on Tuesday pointed to the US police crackdown on journalists more than 100 times and said, “The US regime attempts to intimidate & silence reporters who cover #GeorgeFloydProtests.”
In a series of tweets, the ministry added that the US president has been “hidden in a bunker” and “wants media away while he tries to ‘dominate’ the protesters.”
The ministry, however, warned the US against making any mistake, saying the world is watching the events in the country.
Echoing Zarif, the ministry slammed Western countries for keeping silent on the US police brutality and said, “No, this is not “whataboutism” but just a mere fact-recounting."
“Despite cruel murder of another black man & days of brutal suppression of protests in the US, Western govs keep silence, & forget their Human Rights fever. Imagine their reaction if it was in a non-Western country,” it added.
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