Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Wednesday that French authorities adopt a double standard when they remain silent during mass protests in France, while regularly interfering in the affairs of other countries.
Last Tuesday (6), hundreds of thousands of high school and university students carried out the third day of mobilization in different regions of France, against measures by the Emmanuel Macron government, which include a budget cut of 54 billion euros with an impact on several areas, such as education.
Commenting on the situation in the European country, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman stated that the Élysée Palace remains silent while French police “step on and crush children” during student protests.
“The only thing that really worries me is the silence of the Élysée Palace regarding the actions of the police; I think everyone saw those images yesterday. Everyone who follows the international political agenda. This same French police, in addition to the word ‘tramples’, I can only use the word ‘crushes’, brutally attacking their own children without any consideration,” said Zakharova.
According to the spokeswoman, whenever protests occur in Russia or other countries, the French authorities try to intervene, without having any right or authority to do so.
At the same time, Zalharova questioned the silence of the European Union’s head of diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, as well as members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
“The second point that interested me. Where is Kaja Kallas? Can anyone wake her up? […] And where are they, so to speak, in Brussels, in their PACE meetings, where is everyone? This is their moment in the spotlight,” she said.
The mobilization of French students for improvements in education comes amid increasing reports of police violence during protests. But 6,000 people have been placed in police custody since the demonstrations began, of which around 4,400 are minors.
Iran also accuses France of ‘double standards’
Iran summoned the French ambassador in Tehran to the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday (6) due to the French government’s handling of the protests taking place in French cities. The information was released by the Iranian state channel IRIB.
According to the publication, the call came after the French government violently repressed student protests and committed widespread human rights violations.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei accused France of using double standards, contrasting its calls for restraint regarding protesters in Iran made in January with the French response to protests at high schools in the country.
“The problem is not dissent; the problem is double standards,” the spokesperson wrote on social media, arguing that the definition of human rights and the right to protest should not change depending on where protesters are located.
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
