TEHRAN- Iran has strongly objected to the French government’s use of force to quell rallies over a divisive pension reform proposal, charging that Paris is unfamiliar with respecting human rights while lecturing others about it.

Nasser Kanaani, the spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, released a video of the French police using force against protesters in a tweet on Sunday.

The protesters had taken to the streets to express their displeasure with President Emmanuel Macron’s reform of the pension system.

“The practical lesson of the French police to others in respecting human rights and honoring the rights of protesters,” he highlighted. 

He went on to say, “This is an example of respecting human rights and honoring the rights of protesters in the ‘European Garden’!”

Kanaani was making a reference to contentious statements made by Josep Borrell, the head of foreign affairs for the European Union, who referred to Europe as a “garden” and the rest of the world as a “jungle” that would “invade the garden.”

Borrell’s comments drew harsh criticism, with some accusing him of “barbaric plundering” the “jungle” to build the so-called “garden.”

The reform plan was passed by the French Senate on Saturday night, moving it one step closer towards becoming law.

The authorization came hours after large-scale protests across France by tens of thousands of people that compelled the government to back down.