Demonstrators demand Saddam reinstatement
Hundreds of people demonstrated in Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit today, demanding the return of the former Iraq dictator to power.
About 500 people gathered in front of the al-Jamaa al-Kabir mosque ahead of Friday prayers at the call of two religious organisations, the Association of Muslim Scholars and the Tikrit Shura Council.
Saddam is currently on trial on genocide charges in Baghdad.
The crowd demanded his release, and for him to be allowed to resume power again as president, said Mohammed Talib Jassim, head of the Tikrit Shura Council.
They also condemned Pope Benedict XVI’s recent remarks on Islam and violence, called on US and Iraqi army raids to stop, and demanded the release of prisoners taken from Tikrit by coalition forces.
