Saddam Hussein memorial plaque appears in London neighborhood, shocking residents

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – British authorities on Monday removed a Saddam Hussein memorial plaque that was recently placed on a bench in a London neighborhood.

Reading “In Loving Memory of Saddam Hussein,” the copper plate was placed on a wooden bench in the UK capital’s Wansted area, one of its eastern suburbs.

The plaque pointed to the date of Saddam Hussein’s birth in 1937 and the year of his execution, 2006, with Wanstead resident Victoria Richards telling the BBC that it first appeared on Sunday.

Honoring the former Tikrit-born Iraqi dictator has sparked shock and anger among some residents of the neighborhood and social media users.

“I was horrified,” said Melissa Munday-Chanin, a resident of the suburb, when speaking with The Independent.

“My mum was over visiting and pointed it out to me and was utterly shocked - so I checked it immediately.”

“I thought she surely must’ve been mistaken, but to my horror she was right,” she added. “I think someone celebrating the life of a man who’s caused such terror is outrageous.”

“If it’s a joke, it’s not remotely funny.”

Local authorities claimed they had not granted permission to anyone to put up the plaque, and indicated that it has since been removed.

Saddam, who ruled Iraq for more than 30 years, was ousted by US forces in 2003 and executed in 2006 after being convicted by the Iraqi authorities of “crimes against humanity.”

In the 1980s, Saddam led a genocidal Anfal campaign, including the use of chemical weapons in Halabja, against the Kurds in the northern region of Iraq. Millions of Kurds were displaced under his regime and the impact of his policies persists in the war-torn country.

Editing by Nadia Riva