Ali Faris, 14 years old, shot in his home by US forces in Sad’r City. April 5, 2004. Baghdad, Iraq (Source: Indymedia)
Do you remember when the castrated Western media served up those stirring images of that statue of Hussein being toppled? Remember how every warhawk gloated and pointed how the handful of Iraqis shown celebrating proved that the invading forces were seen as liberators and not occupiers? Never mind that the whole thing was staged by the US army.
That was a year ago.
Look at Iraq now. Everyday, our news has to show reports of more attacks against the “liberators,” and of more reprisals against those collaborating with them. Does the news look like “our lads” are welcome liberators? Are they getting the kind of reception deserved by heroes?
Robert Fisk has an excellent article here outlining the line of propaganda over the last year. First, any resistance was dubbed ‘Saddam loyalists’ (and I heard this repeated verbatim by many TV journalists, completely unquestioningly). Then, the insinuation was made that any resistance was from outside fighters, fanatical Muslims who’d come into Iraq like some kind of Islamic International Brigade:
“The US media went along with this nonsense, even though not a single al-Qa’ida operative has been arrested in Iraq and of the 8,500 “security detainees” in American hands, only 150 appear to be from outside Iraq. Just 2 per cent.(Source: Robert Fisk.com).
The only reason we’re seeing any news on the TV about our bloody murder in Iraq is that we can’t hide the loss of life to USK forces. Otherwise, you can bet the current mayhem would be as widely reported as the genocide in East Timor was.
Iraq is rising up against its Western occupiers. The massacres in Fallujah and other towns by the USK forces have provoked and aligned anti-Western sentiment as never before. When the US military steams in and kills over 200 innocent civilians in one town, what do they expect? Thanks?
This is one shitstorm that the neo-Nazis in Bush’s administration can’t cover up. Here’s what Naomi Klein and Andrew Stern write from Baghdad:
“On Sunday, Iraqi soldiers, trained and controlled by coalition forces, opened fire on a demonstration here. As the protesters returned to their homes in the poor neighbourhood of Sadr City, the US army followed with tanks, helicopters and planes, firing at random on homes, shops, streets, even ambulances. According to local hospitals, 47 people were killed and many more injured. In Najaf, the day was also bloody: 20 demonstrators dead, more than 150 injured.”(Source: Indymedia)
That doesn’t sound like the “civil war” the USK and it’s media lackeys are promoting. That sounds like brutal repression.
Last year I wrote a silly rant, meant to be from the future and intended to goad some people off their apathetic arses and out on to the streets. In it, I said that the history books would call this “the 21st century Vietnam.” Now look at the mounting pile of US bodybags, each containing a human being who died because of George W. Bush’s bloodlust.
Oh, and before I go, here’s truth behind that statue toppling again, just in case you missed it last year:
…and a link to a movie of an eye-witness account: