People's Democracy

SADDAM’S EXECUTION

CPI(M) Mobilises People To Vent Anger 

A cross-section of angry CPI(M) protestors demonstrating at American Cultural Centre in New Delhi against Saddam execution on December 30.

KERALA

SHOCKED with the imperialist design that sent to the gallows the former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein who dared to defy the US diktat, the people of Kerala rose en masse on December 30 to protest and condemn the execution). Expressing their utmost anger towards the imperialist misdeed, the people of the state observed an afternoon hartal at the call of the ruling Left Democratic Front parties. Denouncing killer George Bush and his atrocious act, the people came out of their workplaces and rallied in demonstrations all across the state. 

Shortly after the news of Saddam’s killing was telecast, the people from all walks of life did not even wait for any official call from their respective mass organisations and, in their thousands, marched through the towns, cities and villages all over Kerala. Workers of the Left Democratic Front burnt the Bush effigies at many places. The protesters belonged to all the political parties except the BJP, and together displayed the collective anger of the people of Kerala despite the difference of opinions and political affiliations. This unanimous expression of anger against the ‘world police’ constituted a supreme display of the deep anti-imperialist consciousness of Kerala. 

Immediately after the news was confirmed, the CPI(M) called for a hartal. Then followed calls from other Left Democratic Front partners, viz the CPI, RSP etc. Hours later, the Congress also called for a hartal. Although the protest call came around mid-day, its effect was so immediate that vehicular traffic and functioning of offices ceased in no time. Pilgrims’ vehicles to Sabarimala and Shivagiri were exempted from the hartal. Though no untoward incident took place anywhere in the state, policemen were put on high alert. 

All political leaders, save those of the BJP, came out strongly against the hanging. Imperialists will have to pay heavily for their deed, said the CPI(M)’s state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan. Chief Minister and party Polit Bureau member V S Achuthanandan termed the hanging a challenge thrown to the world conscience by US imperialism.

DELHI

On December 30, hundreds of activists of the CPI(M) and various mass organisations took out a protest march in the national capital, Delhi, denouncing the US imperialism for the hanging of Saddam Hussein. The protestors, who marched to the American Cultural Centre on Kasturba Gandhi Marg, were led and addressed by CPI(M) Polit Bureau members Brinda Karat and M K Pandhe. The protestors also demanded that the UPA government should clearly come out against this barbaric act of the US occupation forces in Iraq.

ASSAM

The news of the execution of Saddam Hussein, the deposed president of Iraq, passed shock waves throughout the state. As was expected, Saddam Hussein was sent to the gallows by the puppet Iraqi regime even before the expiry of thirty days.

At Guwahati, under the banner of CPI(M) Kamrup (Metro) district committee, hundreds of CPI(M) protestors came out in open on the street. They took out a procession through the main thoroughfares and rent the airs of Guwahati with enthusiastic slogans like “US imperialism, go to hell,” and “We want proper trial of George W Bush for his genocide in Iraq,” etc.

At the Guwahati Club point, an effigy of George W Bush was burnt, showing the strong hatred gripping the protestors. The latter were addressed by CPI(M) Kamrup district committee secretary Tiken Das, the party’s state secretariat member Deben Bhattacharya, and Ananta Deka, MLA.

PUNJAB

The CPI(M)’s Chandigarh unit organised a protest action to denounce the execution of Saddam Hussein, saying that it was done under the direct supervision of the US government with a calculated plan. The protestors dubbed the US occupation of Iraq as illegal and in violation of the resolutions adopted by the UNO. Under the US’s diabolic plan, a progressive government of Iraq was thrown out with the use of armed forces and more than six lakh innocent people of Iraq were killed.
At the end of the procession the CPI(M) Chandigarh unit took out in the city, the protestors burnt an effigy of US president George Bush, while the party activists raised slogans against American imperialism.

ORISSA

People in various parts of the state of Orissa reacted against the Bush misdemeanour on December 30, following the hanging of Saddam Hussein. They came out and staged demonstrations at public places, burnt the Bush effigies and, at some places, held the public hanging of these effigies.

At Bhubaneswar, the state capital of Orissa, a public meeting was organised where the CPI(M)’s Suresh Panigrahi and Naba Mohanty condemned this heinous act on the part of US imperialists America. At Rourkela steel city, there was a huge gathering and demonstration at Bishra Chowk and CPI(M) leaders like Arindum Dutta, Surendra Dash, Srimanta Behera and B P Mohapatra highlighted the inhuman role played by Bush administration which is causing danger to the world peace and to the sovereignty of independent countries. At Jaleswar, a small town in the northern corner of the state, people of different communities came out angrily to express their protest anger against the hanging of Saddam Hussein and demonstrated at the station square under the leadership of the CPI(M)’s Ganesh Patra, Diptiman Acharya and Sitanshu Senapati. At Paliabindha, a village in Bhadrak district, comrades of the CPI and CPI(M) organised a joint protest action. In Cuttack there was a mass meeting and demonstration where the CPI(M)’s Subash and Jaydev Jena spoke. People expressed their grief and anger by burning a Bush effigy here. Speakers explained the imminent danger from imperialism and called upon the people to unite for protecting their independence. At the coastal town of Berhampur, a protest meeting was organised, and Ali Patnaik and Kalu Panda addressed it, explaining the dangers inherent in the pro-US tilt of the UPA government at the centre. Romanna, a small town, also reacted to the cowardly act of the imperialist America; the gathering of workers and peasants here was addressed by the CPI(M)’s Pradipta Panda and Nirmal Nayak. At the district headquarters of Bhadrak, having a sizeable Muslim population, there took place a massive meeting to demonstrate the people’s anguish; here the CPI(M)’s Chandrasekhar Nayak, Niranjan Pani, Narayan Das and Dibyasingh Nayak addressed the public. 

DYFI

On the day, the central executive committee (CEC) of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) strongly condemned the execution of the ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. 

Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death on November 5 through a totally rigged verdict, delivered after a farcical trial. His execution by the US administration in Iraq is nothing but a judicial assassination for which the Killer Bush and his administration is responsible. Now, the statement said, the situation in Iraq would further worsen and Bush would be responsible for the consequence. While condemning the hanging of Saddam Hussein in strong words, the DYFI asked all its units to organise actions nationwide protest against this judicial assassination.

SFI

On the day, through a press release issued by its president R Arunkumar and general secretary K K Ragesh, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) strongly condemned the execution of Saddam Hussein. It also asked all its units observe January 2 Protest Day and carry out mock hanging of George Bush, the real war criminal.

The SFI said the execution of Saddam was ‘judicial assassination’ carried out by imperialist lackeys at the behest of the US. The Bush administration is unable to learn from its past mistakes and will surely pay the price for this. The entire Iraqi civil society is torn into pieces by the imperialist aggression. Hundreds of thousands of people are affected by the bloodthirsty oil policy of the US and the innocent Iraqis --- women and children included --- are paying the price for it with their lives. It is Bush who is the real war criminal and responsible for this mindless and inhuman mayhem, the statement added. 

The statement also termed as “very unfortunate and highly objectionable” that the UPA government did not condemn this heinous crime committed by US imperialism. This is in continuation of the government’s soft stand towards imperialism, which is jeopardising our independent foreign policy.

The SFI said students would, by symbolically hanging Bush, contribute to strengthening the rich anti-imperialist legacy of our country on the New Year Day.

AIDWA

Strongly condemning the barbaric execution of Saddam Hussain, the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) said it once again exposes the most evil and dangerous face of US imperialism. It has proved that Bush and Blair are indeed the world’s biggest terrorists, destabilising the world and targeting all of humanity in pursuit of their hegemonic interests.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the AIDWA said, US imperialism has aggressively tried to establish a unipolar world and ride roughshod over the democratically elected regimes. After Afganisthan, Iraq was next in a series of targeted countries including Iran, North Korea and Cuba. In the name of finding weapons of mass destruction, the combined military might of Bush and Blair sought to systematically capture the Iraqi oil resources. An ancient civilisation was razed to the ground, more than 6.5 lakh people including women and children were butchered, while thousands were maimed, jailed and made destitute. While the incidents in Abu Gharaib prison showed the most cruel and inhuman face of the military occupation of the country, Iraq has also been pushed to the brink of a civil war. It is clear that the so-called “war against terror” is nothing but a façade to hegemonise the entire world and capture resources in pursuit of imperialism’s selfish motives.

The AIDWA demanded that the UPA government unequivocally condemn the murder of Saddam Hussain and not lose sight of the anti-imperialist tradition and sentiments of the Indian people. The organisation appealed all peace loving and democratic people across the world to join hands to fight the US imperialism and see that the perpetrators of such crimes do not go unpunished.