Khamenei Schadenfreudes All Over the U.S. for Ferguson Protests

The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rarely skips an opportunity to bash the United States. The tense standoff in Ferguson, Missouri, is giving him a new chance to engage in some very serious Twitter schadenfreude.

In the days since 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot dead by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, the Twitterverse has been full of eye-opening photos and videos of unarmed protesters squaring off against heavily-armed police equipped with sniper rifles and armored vehicles that seem better suited for Afghanistan than for a small Missouri town. Khamenei — or whoever runs his English-language Twitter account — has clearly taken notice.

Today the world is a world of tyranny and lies. The flag of #HumanRights is borne by enemies of human rights w/US leading them! #Ferguson

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) August 15, 2014

Racial discrimination’s still a dilemma in US. Still ppl are unsecure for having dark skins.The way police treat them confirms it. #Ferguson

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) August 15, 2014

Look at how US govt treats black community! It’s not about 50-100 years ago but it’s about today! #Ferguson

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) August 15, 2014

Khamenei isn’t the only critic of America reveling in the images from Ferguson. For instance, the Russian media have used the arrests of two reporters to accuse the U.S. of double-standards on press freedom, in effect turning a common American critique of the government of Russian strongman Vladimir Putin on its head. Palestinians have pointed to the similarities between the events in Ferguson and their own clashes with Israeli security forces, and have even shared some practical tips about how to deal with tear gas.