AN Iraqi refugee whose grandfather and three uncles were murdered by Saddam Hussein’s regime has said she is deeply insulted by a picture of a Scots Tory MP sitting smiling on the former dictator’s throne.
Roza Salih fled the country of her birth to settle in Scotland in 2001 with her parents after the four members of her family were executed during the regime’s violent persecution of Kurds.
She spoke out after Aberdeen South MP Ross Thomson was accused of gross insensitivity when he posted pictures of himself on social media joking about channelling his “inner dictator” during a visit to Saddam’s infamous military parade ground in Baghdad.
Pictures posted on a private Facebook group show him pretending to hold the notorious Victory Arch – a symbol of Saddam’s brutal rule – in his hands as well as sitting on the dictator’s throne.
Alongside a smiling emoji wearing sunglasses, Thomson wrote: “Another terrific day in Iraq.
“I was able to channel my inner dictator with a visit to Sadam’s [sic] military parade ground The Swords of Qadisiyah (Victory Arch) and then sitting on Saddam’s throne at the British embassy.”
Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson has refused to discipline the MP.
Salih, co-convener of Scottish Solidarity with Kurdistan, was shocked when she saw the images, obtained by the Herald.
The Iraqi president, who came to power in 1979, massacred around 5000 of his own people in the Kurdish town of Halabja in March 1988, by dropping nerve agents and mustard gas from aircraft.
Salih told The National: “The pictures of Ross Thomson sitting smiling on Saddam Hussein’s throne are particularly insulting. He clearly should be disciplined for his behaviour by Ruth Davidson. If not, I hope at the very least he will become better informed about the Saddam regime, its persecution of the Kurds, and its legacy. Many of the children born following the gas attack have severe disabilities.”
She added: “The MP’s behaviour is insulting to all the victims of Saddam regime, including the thousands of people who died through its use of chemical weapons.
“Many other people including innocent women and children were buried alive. His behaviour is not what you would expect of an elected politician.”
In 2004, a report by Human Rights Watch estimated in the previous 25 years about 250,000 Iraqis were murdered or ‘disappeared’. The report said the 1988 Anfal campaign resulted in the death of 50,000-100,000 Kurds (although Kurdish sources have cited a higher figure of 182,000), while 25,000-100,000 civilians and rebels were killed during the suppression of the 1991 uprisings. A further 4,000 prisoners at Abu Ghraib were reportedly executed in a 1984 purge.
While he was joking about dictatorship, Thomson was on Twitter attacking the Syrian president following the alleged chemical attack in Douma on April 7, in which dozens of people died.
The MP has said he did not intend to cause offence with his posts.
He told The National: “I am acutely aware of the horrors of the regime under Saddam, and that’s why, unlike the SNP, I supported his removal.
“During the course of my visit, I met minority groups including Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Coptic church and Yazidi – thousands of whom are still missing due to persecution by Daesh. I am fully aware of the issues affecting the region, and would encourage other politicians to visit the area.”
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