The third anniversary of the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq witnessed thousands of people protesting around the world (in 200 cities) demanding the foreign forces leave Iraq.
In Britain, authorities tightened security in areas surrounding the Parliament building and the government headquarters in London. Anti-WMD groups, “Stop the War” alliance and the British Muslim Society participated in anti-war demonstrations calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Tony Blair.
In Sydney, Australia, protesters emphasized the need for foreign troops to leave Iraq. They carried signs and banners that described the American president as the first terrorist in the world. Some posters depicted Bush as Dracula, the vampire.
Australians described US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as a war criminal and murderer. They said innocent Iraqis’ blood is on her hands.
People in Tokyo and other Japanese cities carried signs that said “End the Occupation”. A member of Peace Movement in Japan described the war in Iraq as illegal and against international law.
Protesters were active in South Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan and a number of Asian and Arabic countries.
There were anti-war marches in Istanbul, Rome, Milan, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Athens, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, in addition to Ottawa and Toronto in Canada and San Paulo in Brazil.
In America people are becoming restive, especially after they found out that they have lost 2300 US solders and the number of those injured and maimed runs into thousands. Canadian movie director Paul Haggis whose Crash won the Academy Award for the best film protested the American presence in Iraq. Many famous actors echoed his views in different parts of the world and many American politicians too voiced opposition to the war. Washington, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco saw anti-war marches.
In spite of widespread opposition to the war and occupation of Iraq, US President Bush justified his actions saying, “The war on Iraq was the right thing to do. We gave Iraqis their freedom and helped them develop a democratic system. We are going to beat terrorism in Iraq, finish the mission and provide security and safety to our country.”
Continuing his political charade, President Bush said, “America and the world have become much safer after Saddam has been ousted. He was a terrorist supporter and he is being judged for his crimes now. 25 million Iraqis are enjoying their freedom now.”
The truth is totally different from what Bush is saying. Iraq is on the verge of a civil war that would tear the country apart. Some Iraqis may become very rich because of oil money and collaboration with Washington. But the majority of Iraqis will suffer and that after all is what Washington really wants and that’s why it invaded Iraq.
Everyone knows that Saddam Hussein was a dictator; yet the Iraqi people accepted him for long years.
Someone had to support the US president, and who better than British Prime Minister Tony Blair? Blair declared his backing by saying, “I prayed to God and asked His help in terms of joining Washington in its invasion of Iraq. God is the one who will judge Bush for his decision.” This silly statement has made Blair a butt of joke not only in Britain but throughout the world.
Thousands of people have been killed in Iraq, anarchy reigns there; in fact Iraq is about to implode.
According to a latest survey, 68 percent of the Americans consider their president’s handling of the Iraqi war a failure. About 30 percent think there is a big chance for a civil war to break out in Iraq. 60 percent of the Americans are skeptical of Americans winning the war.
This is the miserable reality of Iraq now.
