Expatriates stage Dublin celebration

Iraqis in Ireland: Iraqis living in Ireland welcomed Saddam Hussein's capture yesterday with a small but noisy celebration in…

Iraqis in Ireland: Iraqis living in Ireland welcomed Saddam Hussein's capture yesterday with a small but noisy celebration in central Dublin. Paul Cullen reports.

Several dozen Iraqis travelled in a cavalcade of cars from the Islamic centre in Milltown to St Stephen's Green to demonstrate their joy at the news.

"This is a beautiful day for Iraqis and for all of humanity," said Mr Khalid Ibrahim, spokesman for the Iraqi Human Rights Organisation in Ireland.

"Saddam was a killer beyond classification, someone who killed the hopes of all Iraqis, and who used chemical weapons against his own people. His capture is a historic chance for justice to be served."

READ MORE

Mr Ibrahim, a Kurd who organised a similar celebration on the day Saddam was toppled, said his capture would accelerate the process of change in Iraq, including the move towards an Iraqi-led administration.

Asked what punishment should be handed out to the former Iraqi leader, Mr Ibrahim replied: "Here is somebody who was responsible for the deaths of over two million people in the region. Would it be fair to let him live in a prison while his victims lie in mass graves?"

Dozens of Iraqis and citizens of neighbouring countries gathered in the Shia mosque in Milltown yesterday to watch the dramatic eventsin Tikrit on Arabic television.About 400 Iraqis live in Ireland.