20 years on, the false narrative of the Firdos Square Saddam statue toppling

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One of the most interesting comments to emerge from post-Saddam Iraq, 20 years after the 39-foot bronze statue of the great man was toppled in Firdos Square in Baghdad, came from a hairdresser.

Qaiss al-Sharaa, who watched Iraqis and US Marines pull down the statue on April 9, 2003, right in front of his salon in the Square, told Associated Press that while he doesn’t miss Saddam’s rule he does miss “the rule of the law”.

He said the park that now exists in Firdos Square, funded by private banks, is a measure of post-Saddam Iraq ‘s problems: “This new garden that replaced Saddam’s represents the widespread corruption in Iraq today, underneath the nice greenery and fountains. Families are too scared to take their kids there, because drug dealers hang out there at night”.

Now it’s hardly unusual that a big city has a problem with drug dealing. And while urban no-go…