The Gaddafi regime remained defiant even as it was bombed by UK forces; when the 2011 England riots broke out in August 2011, the regime's Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim urged Cameron to step down saying that "David Cameron has lost all legitimacy and must go", mockingly echoing the comments made by Cameron about Gaddafi. The statement also called for international military intervention in the UK, and Libyan state TV reported false claims that the British government was using Irish and Scottish mercenaries against rioters.