On Anniversary of Fall of Baghdad: Bush Effigy Hung, Burned in "Park" Where Saddam Statue Was Torn Down

Lets be clear about a few facts:

Firdous Square was called Paradise Park by reporters in 2003 when a small group of Iraqis (shown by picture to be  partially made up of operatives of Bush administration ally political Chalabi) tore down a large statue of Saddam Hussein (aided IIRC by US troops and military vehicles.  The reporters who were honest told us that  their numbers were actually greater than those of the citizens in the area.  What the square did have in 2003 (like it did yesterday, I suppose) was a good view from the Palestine Hotel where many more journalists  were holed up and watching.

A few, sources also reported in 2003 that the US military had helped the Iraqis tear down the statue and at one point had placed an American flag on the statue, an act that was soon ordered reversed by a commander. 

Now:

Six years later, "tens of thousands" of Iraqis gathered in the square to hang an effigy of former President Bush and set it on fire.  To be honest, there was organization behind this latest episode as well.  The people who created the spectacle were followers of the Muqtada al Sadr, often mislabeled anti- American. (In fact, I think some news sources replace any mention of the cleric with the derogatory full moniker automatically these days.)

Though the turnout was smaller than called for, it dwarfed the 2003 crowd, though there is no word how many shoes were burned.  

See AP report and pictures at Shiite rally marks anniversary of fall of Baghdad.

tags: iraq  war  bush  protest  muqtada al sadr  effigy  

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