Huge Baghdad rally marks 6-year anniversary of Hussein's fall

[bemildred]

Source: CNN

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Thousands of followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr rallied in Baghdad on Thursday to mark the sixth anniversary of the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.

They rallied at Firdous Square, where Hussein's statue was pulled down on April 9, 2003, shortly after the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

The protesters carried Iraqi flags, religious banners and posters for al-Sadr. They chanted religious songs.

Hazem al-Araji, a senior aide to the radical Shiite cleric, called on the Iraqi government to release all Sadrist detainees inside U.S. and Iraqi prisons.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/04/09/iraq.rally/

[LynnTheDem]

1. In PROTEST of GEORGE W. bUSH and AMERICA.'s OCCUPATION.

CNN doesn't seem to really wanna point that bit out.

[madmom]

2. Hubby said he saw on a crawler on msnbc, that they burnt bush in effigy

[ConcernedCanuk]

3. I guess it depends on who is relating the story "Thousands march in Baghdad against US presence "

.
.
.

From Times Online
April 9, 2009


Tens of thousands of demonstrators loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr, the anti-American, Shia cleric, marched through the centre of Baghdad today to demand the withdrawal of US forces six years after they captured the capital.

An effigy of George Bush, who launched the invasion in March 2003, was symbolically burnt in Firdous Square, where six years ago Marines famously toppled the statue of Saddam Hussein.

At that time, Iraq’s majority Shia population who had been oppressed by the dictator welcomed the US military. Sentiment is very different today thanks to the subsequent years of war and chaos, which only began to subside 18 months ago.

“No, no American,” chanted one group of about 15 young men as they pranced in the street as part of the noisy but peaceful demonstration.

MORE

[Art_from_Ark]

4. Huge "rally"?

Doesn't the term "rally" imply support for something? The headline made me think that the "ralliers" were in support of Saddam's ouster.

[ohio2007]

5. they didn't get the memo

the election is over....

MSM burried the results of how Sadrs party lost seats. Now they are mad as hell.......