Firdus Square

In the case of the 'definitive moment' of the toppling of Saddam Hussein's statue in Firdus Square, what was broadcast live around the globe and could not have been further from the truth. The image presented both on television and the press was of an enormous crowd who had gathered to tear down Saddam Hussein's monument to himself. Only later analysis of photos which were not broadcast or printed can a true picture be seen.

Images published seem to show that a huge crowd gathered to remove the statue of Saddam Hussein. This photograph from the BBC News website (left) was tightly cropped to eliminate all the areas in the foreground and to the right where there were people were thin on the ground - suggesting a greater density of people. Those who study crowds generally have a better idea of the size of a crowd from its density - especially when the crowd has a focus such as the statue of Saddam Hussein.

9th April 2003 A wide aerial view of the crowd toppling the statue of Saddam Hussein in Furdus Square. Click image for a larger photograph.	9th April 2005 A similar view of an Iraqi demonstration in Firdus Square against the US led occupation.

Analysis of this event was widely distributed across the internet but the source site was closed shortly afterwards. Click the thumbnail (right) to see the original annotated image which suggests that even the protestors who were present were not what they were portrayed to be.

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