Journalist and Wanstead resident Victoria Richards posted an image of the plaque on Twitter when she discovered it yesterday (November 19th). The plaque reads: βIn Loving Memory of Saddam Hussein 1937-2006β. It is not clear where the plaque came from, but it has since been removed by Redbridge Council. It said no permission had been granted for the plaque to be installed.
The bronze plaque was fitted to the bench using anti-theft screws which suggested that the person responsible intended for the tribute to remain in place. The years depicted on the tribute are correct with the dates in which Hussein died. He was the former president of Iraq and responsible for the oppression of its people for more than 30 years.
The bronze plaque was fitted to the bench using anti-theft screws which suggested that the person responsible intended for the tribute to remain in placeβ
Hussein was hanged in 2006 following his capture by the Americans in 2003. An Iraqi court found him guilty of crimes against humanity, which referred to the killing of 148 Iraqis in 1982.
Many have responded to the tribute with anger, but some have seen it as a funny prank. Some argued that the tribute could be attributed to someone who lived locally with the same name, who died at the same time as the oppressor.
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