Multinationals Against Muammar Montrealers
Gather to Protest Libyan Government Crackdown
As citizens demand change in an ever-growing list of Middle Eastern countries, protesters rallying in Dorchester Square on Feb. 22 against Libya’s embattled dictator Muammar Gaddafi proved that the desire for democracy is truly international
Sporting Libyan flags and placards, protesters shouted chants decrying Gaddafi as a mass murderer and terrorist. The group included not just natives of that country, but of countries across the whole region as well as Canadians.
Shelly Fickler is a Canadian whose husband is from Libya. She came to the protest with her children, their faces painted with the red, black and green of the Libyan flag. She said there is a simple message she hopes her children take away from the protest.
“[I hope they learn that] our voices mean something […] They stood up there in the face of severe personal damage.” she said. “The least we can do is stand up here.”
Fickler was not the only non-Libyan protester who expressed a feeling of solidarity. Nasim Foudel-Ladouras is an Algerian native who attended the rally. He expressed a bond that comes from both his shared religious and ethnic background with the Libyan protestors, as well as a desire to see democracy flourish in an area ruled mostly by despotic regimes.
“All Libyans are our brothers. They are Arab and Muslim like us,” he said. “Gaddafi is killing children and [innocent people]. He’s a crazy person. I don’t accuse him, but I accuse the international community that does nothing [against] that.”
While sending a message to those suffering overseas was a big reason many showed up at the rally, there was a desire to see action from the Canadian government. One man who was born in Libya and immigrated to Canada six years ago described he country as “hell,” and insisted that Canada and other countries must play a role if Libya is to become a proper democracy. Prime Minister Harper has publically condemned the Libyan government and introduced new sanctions above and beyond those declared by the United Nations.
“As a Canadian, we’d like to see [the government] liberate an unarmed population that’s under attack,” said Fickler. “At the very least, until the regime resigns, there should be sanctions. We should be pushing at the UN that there should be no-fly zones so they stop attacking unarmed people with helicopters and airplanes. I don’t believe our ambassador [has left], so we should rescind him. Whatever political arsenal we have to impose our will on them, we should [use] it.”
This article originally appeared in Volume 31, Issue 24, published March 7, 2011.
