Commander Naghdi, the head of Iran’s Basij militia, described the recent riots in Britain as "an uprising for justice" and announced that his Ashura Battalions are prepared for deployment to Britain as peacekeepers.
The Basij Organization website reports that, at a meeting of Basij commanders, Naghdi strongly criticized the British government for what he called the "savage oppression of protesters in England" and added that his battalions “are ready to be dispatched to London for peacekeeping."
Unrest erupted in London last week after 29-year-old Mark Duggan was shot dead by the police and a peaceful demonstration turned violent. The riots later spread to Birmingham, Britain’s second largest city.
British media report that more than 1,500 hundred people have been arrested, and a 68-year-old man in London as well as three Muslims in Birmingham were killed by rioters.
Commander Naghdi said: "Unfortunately the crimes and violence of the tyrannical English monarchical regime continue against the disadvantaged people of this country, and concerned advice appears to have no effect on the actions of the officials and the oppressive police of this regime; instead we see the disadvantaged people being referred to as a bunch of thieves and looters."
While he advised the Iranian Foreign Ministry to coordinate with the United Nations on dispatching his Ashura and Al-Zahra Battalions to Britain for peacekeeping, he added: "This is only the beginning of this path. The British regime has to pay for massacres in Africa, wars and bloodshed in India, crimes in China, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, creating bloody wars among Muslims and other crimes."
Earlier, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also reacted to the unrest in Britain, calling for the United Nation’s Security Council to intervene.
The Iranian president said: "This violent behaviour with the people is unacceptable, and we are concerned that there will be an uncontrollable social explosion in the West."
He added: "We advise them to hear the voice of their people, hear their demands, and to give their people the freedom and opportunity to be involved in their country’s affairs."
Similar sentiments were expressed by Libyan Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim, who questioned the legitimacy of Prime Minister David Cameron and his administration, saying: "The protests in Britain reveal that the people do not accept the government of this country and have concluded that the government is trying to force itself upon them through violence."
British authorities insist that the recent unrest is not a political statement but rather gang violence.
