WE print excerpts of Colonel Gadaffi’s speech to the Libyan people made last Tuesday evening to rally them against the internal counter-revolutionary forces and their UK and US backers.
I SALUTE you oh courageous people, I salute you oh Al-Fateh youth, national youths, Al-Fatimiyah youths, the youths of challenge, the generation of challenge and the generation of rage.
I salute you while you present to the world the true image of the Libyan people, who revolve around the revolution, similar to their fathers. You, who are at Green Square, are representing the truth, which the apparatuses of betrayal, treason, villainy, reactionism and cowardliness are trying to cover up.
They are distorting your image in front of the world. Unfortunately, brotherly Arab apparatuses are being disloyal to you and betraying you and are presenting your image in a way that is offensive to every Libyan man and woman.
They say to the world, look at Libya, look at Libya, it does not want pride, glory, freedom or revolution; look at Libya, it wants to become dervish-like, it wants beards and turbans; look at Libya, it wants occupation, it wants retrogression, it wants to sink low, while you here in Green Square are saying:
Libya wants glory, wants the summit, the summit of the world. Libya leads continents; Asia, Africa and Latin America, and even Europe. All continents’ summits are held in Libya. This is glory to Libyans male and female. Today, Libyans are held high all over the world. . .
Muammar al-Gadaffi does not hold office, so he cannot resign if he does get upset, as other presidents did. Muammar al-Gadaffi is not a president, he is the leader of the revolution. The revolution means sacrifice until the end of time. This is my country, the country of my grandparents and your grandparents, we planted it and watered it with the blood of our grandparents. We are the people most worthy of Libya, more than those rats and those hired people. Who are those hired people, paid by foreign intelligence? God’s curse be on them, they have handed down shame to their children, if they have any. They have handed down shame to their families, if they have any. They have handed down shame to their tribes, if they have any. But they do not have tribes; Libyan tribes are honest, fighting and defending tribes. They all came to see me one by one this month, all tribes, from Al-Battan to Al-Jabal al-Gharbi to Fazzan.
All of them were chanting the same thing. All of them challenging America in this place in all its might and power. . .
I have paid the price of staying here. My grandfather is Abd-al-Salam Abu-Minyar, the first martyr who fell in Al-Khums in the first battle in 1911. I will never abuse this great sacrifice. There is no way I can leave the pure remains of my forefathers in Al-Murgub.
I shall die a martyr. . .
I address you from this resilient place, this house in Tripoli, which was attacked by 170 planes led by the major nuclear countries, America, Britain and NATO. Forty Boeing aircraft were supplying this campaign with fuel. They passed over all your palaces and houses, they left all your homes searching for the house of Mu’ammar al-Gadaffi, why? Is it because Muammar al-Gadaffi is the president of a republic? If he were a president they would have dealt with him the way they dealt with the presidents of other countries. It is because Muammar al-Gadaffi is history, resistance, freedom, glory, revolution.
This is a confession by the most powerful country in the world that Muammar al-Gadaffi is not a president, and not an ordinary person to be killed by poisoning or by organising a demonstration that would topple him.
When the bombs in this place were pounding my house, killing my children, where were you, you indistinct ones? Who bluffed in the darkness of Darnah and Al-Jabal al-Akhdar, or any place else.
Where were you? Where were you? You were with America, clapping for your American masters, when Muammar al-Gadaffi and his family were in this place being hit by bombs. 170 planes flew over kings, presidents and palaces in the whole of the Arab nation and found the tent of Muammar al-Gadaffi, and Muammar al-Gadaffi’s house.
This is a glory that Libya and the Libyan people will never forget, nor will the Arab nation, or the Islamic nation, or Africa, or Latin America, or all nations that want freedom and dignity for their people; those who resist tyranny. We resist the tyranny of America, Britain, and NATO; we did not surrender, and we said we were standing resilient here.
Now a small group of youths pumped with pills are attacking police stations here and there, like mice. They are attacking a peaceful off-guard barracks, because we are not at war when protection on our stores and camps would be increased; we are among our families and enjoying security and peace, Libya enjoys peace. They took advantage of this peace, security and blessedness that Libya enjoys, and they attacked a number of camps and centres. They burnt the files that held records of their crimes; they attacked the courthouses that held their files and the police stations that hold records of the investigations conducted against them about their crimes.
But it is not their fault; these youth, it is not their fault at all, they are young: 16, 17, 18 years old, sometime they imitate what is happening in Tunisia and Egypt and this is normal. Sometimes they hear that the youth of a city in Libya have taken over a court, and they say: let’s go and take over our court. This is imitation. They said they have weapons, why shouldn’t we have weapons? But there is a small group of sick people who have infiltrated cities and are handing out pills, and sometimes even money, to those young adolescent people, and are pushing them into these small side battles.
Those who were killed are police, military and youths; not the people who are pushing them, who are sitting in their homes or abroad enjoying security, comfort and pleasure, along with their children, while pushing your children, giving them pills and telling them to get weapons, attack and burn you heroes, so that your children die and we begin fighting each other.
Abd-al-Fattah Yunis (Secretary of the General People’s Committee for Public Security Lt-Gen Abd-al-Fattah Yunis al-Ubaydi) is one of the great Al-Fateh revolution’s heroes. He was under my command when we took over Benghazi radio and announced the first communique of liberating Libya, as it was under occupation. There were five American military bases in Benghazi at that time when I and Abd-al-Fattah entered the city of Benghazi. There were five American bases. 20,000 Italians occupied Libyan lands from Misrata to Terhuna to Subrata, they were all under Italian civilian control, in addition to all the shops, workshops and services. They also had members of parliament, Libyans who took bribery.
Al-Battan was completely occupied by American forces. Tubrug was under complete American control when we entered Benghazi to free it. We cannot have a setback and retreat now, and suffer dishonour and shame.
The hospital camp in Benghazi was Wafil camp, Wafil was written on it, no-one dared to cross this name out. Where were you? Where were your fathers and grandfathers? You mercenaries, when the five American bases were on Libyan lands? Which one of you fired one shot? Or detonated one bomb? We are the ones who sacrificed ourselves and were counting, and entered a battle with America and Britain on Libyan soil. And I announced from Al-Jalaa Square in Tripoli that if they did not leave, then there would be street to street and house to house fighting against the American forces.
We left power to the Libyan people.
Since 1977, we left power to the Libyan people. I, along with the free officers. We have retained no position or power, and we never issue any laws or decrees. We left power to the Libyan people, to people’s congresses and people’s committees. They did well or didn’t, made it worse or not, harmed it or not, were corrupt or not, this concerns all Libyans.
Whether hospitals, schools, administration, or offices; whether in a car or on a plane; be it housing, agriculture or industry it is all administered by Libyans who fall under people’s committees and people’s congresses. And people’s congresses are the whole of the Libyan people; the fight over power in Libya was completely solved, the Libyan people took over in 1977.
I and my colleagues are no longer responsible for anything, except for fighting for Libya, that’s it. We only held weapons, and when America attacked us we fought back; and when France attacked us in the south, we fought them. We also fought al-Sadat; and even Bourguiba and Nemeri. Reactionism fell, all agents of colonialism fell, and the occupation fell. We only had our rifles; we left everything to you, even money generated from oil. I got tired of asking you to take it; every month, take the money generated from oil and do what you will with it. Do not let them laugh at you when they ask you about the oil money. You said no, let the government keep oil revenues, in safekeeping with the people’s committees. You are the ones who overrated the General People’s Committee and all people’s committees.
You are the ones responsible for them, they are fooling you, and you are so naive. Tomorrow, I, supporting the authority of the masses and the Libyan people, call upon the Libyan people to form new Sha’biyahs and municipalities, in accordance with the programme outlined to you by Sayf-al-Islam…
I am sure that after this call, the people shall march tomorrow and form new Sha’biyahs, and I expect that the current number of 23 Sha’biyahs may increase to 30 or more. And I think that municipalities will be formed for local administration, I expect them to increase from 50 municipalities to 150, because each one wants their own municipality. . .
Do you want America to occupy you?
Get out of your homes and storm them in their locations, pull your kids from the streets snatch your children from them. They took your children from you, they loaded them, got them drunk and told them to go to the fire, and your children are dying. For what reason and for what purpose? For nothing, to destroy and burn Libya. Policemen killed, your sons died, but their children are not dead. Their children are in America and Europe. What befell you, what is this fear, this terror from these gangs?
Gangs like rats, they represent nothing. They do not represent one in a million of the Libyan people. They equal nothing, a handful of youth from Tunisia and Egypt gave them the pills and ordered them to burn and loot. Copying rats! From tomorrow work will be with the police and the army to enforce security. From tomorrow all the barriers must be removed, you take them, go out against them and chase them everywhere. Wake up and leave your homes. . .
Do you want America to come and occupy you and make you like Afghanistan and Somalia, like Pakistan or Iraq? This our country is slipping, slipping like Afghanistan, are you happy about this. If not then step out in the streets and close it all, chase them all, and kick them out, take their weapons. Arrest them, try them and hand them to the security. They are a small minority, they are a terrorist minority that is converting Libya into emirates pro-Al-Zawahiri or Bin Ladin is this it.
So that America can interfere saying it will not allow a new Afghanistan in North Africa. To bring colonialism and our country ends up bombed.
The Free Officers have been distributed to all their tribes and areas, so they can lead these tribes and these areas and secure them and cleanse them from these rats. To arrest who ever tries and cheats our boys and put them on trial. This is their punishment under the law. Listen to the slogans in the streets, with our souls with our blood we sacrifice for you our leader. See their crimes, this is the law, the Libyan penal law which predates the revolution, Libyans who bear weapons against the state their punishment is execution. Any Libyan who holds a weapon against Libya his punishment is execution. Those who plan sedition with the aid of a foreign country to launch war against Libya is punished by execution, this is the penal code. Violating property of the state and facilitating war against it is punishable by execution. Who ever facilitated the entry of the enemy into the country or handed them cities, fortresses or installations or positions or ports this kind of work will end by these locations being handed to America. Because America will not accept Darnah, Al-Bayda or Benghazi being with Bin Ladin, America will not allow this ever. If the enemy benefits from this act the punishment will be execution, infiltrating military locations, these are the perpetrators of all these crimes. Anyone who supplies information for foreign powers or one of their agents or any other person who works for their interest under any pretext and by any means, giving all our secrets to the enemy.
What have the children done to deserve this, I say it is the fault of the neighbourhood where the children have cheated them, who will plea tomorrow in courts and cry and ask for forgiveness. We will not forgive them this time. . .
Civil war is punishable by execution whoever carries an action that aims to start a civil war or fragment national unity. When he makes Darnah an Islamic emirate and Al-Bayda an Islamic emirate and Benghazi what kind of republic; tearing apart national unity is punishable by execution? . .
We see what is happening in Somalia. Do you want your country to be like Somalia and Iraq. The same group that destroyed those countries is the one that has entered Libya now. It is the one that wants Libya to be the same as Afghanistan and Somalia, and Darnah becomes like Fallujah or Al-Bayda and Benghazi like Fallujah. . .
We want the Libyan people to take control of Libya from one end to the other. . .
‘I believe that a new administration will begin in the Jamahiriyah as of tomorrow, a new Jamahiriyah, new popular committees, new municipalities, and a new real popular authority. (Words indistinct) The press, the civil society, and the like, Sayf-al-Islam (al-Gadaffi). Quickly, be brave, you are more than them. You are millions and they are very few. Catch them in the streets, open the airports and the ports, and restore popular authority and security. The free officers are deployed with you, the security forces are deployed, and the people’s armed units are ready.
You can make a decision on the redistribution of resources. I still insist on this. The Libyan oil should be for all Libyans. You no longer have confidence in the popular committees and therefore, take oil in your hands and dispose with it. No one should say that you have taken my share. Let everyone take his share. You are free to do whatever you want with it. If you want to give it to charity, you are free. What is important is that you take your share and dispose of it the way you want. . .
Peaceful demonstrations are one thing and armed rebellion and separating parts of the state is something else. Internal demands are one thing and plotting with the outside is something else. Internal demands for a constitution, popular committees, municipalities, civil society organisation is very ordinary and it is a peaceful and acceptable thing. Plotting with the outside in the name of these things, however, is a different thing. . .
The hour of work is here, the hour of onslaught is here, the hour of victory is here. No retreat, forward, forward, forward. Revolution, revolution.
