Gaddafi: “All my people love me”

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Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has told the BBC he is loved by all his people and has denied there have been any protests in Tripoli. Gaddafi said that his people would die to protect him. The American ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said the interview showed Colonel Gaddafi was “delusional” and “unfit to lead”. Fighting continues in Libya and there have been renewed protests against Gaddafi’s rule in the capital. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with a Gaddafi critic in Tripoli. Download MP3
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Lisa Mullins: I’m Lisa Mullins and this is The World.  Today, Muammar Gaddafi denied the people on the streets are demonstrating against him.  Quite the opposite, said the leader.

Muammar Gaddafi: They love me, all my people with me, they love me all.

Woman: But if they do love you…

Gaddafi: They, they will die to protect me and my people.

Mullins: Despite Gaddafi’s words, reports say there was intense fighting today between pro and anti government forces in northwestern Libya, and a protest took place in the suburb of the capital, Tripoli.  Several hundred people took to the streets to chant slogans against Gaddafi.

Protestors: [Speaking Arabic]

Mullins: They cried, “The blood of martyrs won’t go to waste.”  Otherwise, today was a relatively quiet day for most residents of Tripoli.  A business professional, a man named Ahmed, spoke with us this afternoon.

Ahmed: The regime has done a fantastic job making things seem to be quite safe.  And I’ll have to admit from about 9:00 o’clock in the morning until about 3:00 o’clock in the afternoon it’s relatively quiet in Tripoli in the sense of any military, nothing really visible, people are going on with their normal lives, and getting, buying the food, and going about the city.

Some are just furious to see what has happened from the day before.  Schools are still shut.  Offices, governmental offices are open.  The government is handing out cash, 500 dinars per family.

Mullins: Let me just…

Ahmed: So it’s a substantial amount of money for many families.

Mullins: That’s pretty substantial as you say, Ahmed, say 500 dinars per family is roughly about 400 U.S. dollars, I believe.  How is that working? This has never happened as you say in Libya before, that there have been handouts, cash handouts to people.  How is it working?

Ahmed: No, this has not happened before.  This is actually the first time.  We expected there will be a lot of payments from the regime, sort of incite people against the protestors.  And if some of the population who actually buy into the gesture of goodwill from the regime for more good things to come, then I will be worried.

Mullins: Do you see…

Ahmed: In other words, the 500 Libyan dinars could be buying some people’s souls at the moment.

Mullins: Ahmed, you mentioned that things seem to be business as usual between 9AM and 3:00 in the afternoon.  What happens after 3:00?

Ahmed: Yes, now the past 10 days or so the resistance has been active at light, from 7:00 in the evening onwards more than during the day.  So what we, most of us unfortunately, we do sit idle waiting to see what will happen next.  And fair enough, I mean every night it’s almost been since seven o’clock in the evening until about two or three o’clock in the morning, that’s when the most activity happens.

Mullins: When you talk about resistance Ahmed, often we think of armed resistance.  And I wonder if you can make the distinction for us, from what’s happening at least right now in Tripoli.  I mean speak to what you know.  Are there protestors there conducting the kind of resistance we’ve seen in other countries, Tunisia or especially Egypt?  Or is it more armed resistance?  Do people have, those who are against the government, do they have easy access to weaponry?

Ahmed: I wish there was.  And there are none.  The reason being that we’re not very mobile outside Tripoli.  Tripoli is heavily guarded so we might be able to exit, but on entrance we’re gonna be heavily searched, so everyone is avoiding that.

Mullins: Ahmed, I don’t want to mischaracterize what you’re saying or what your intentions might be, but it sounds like you’re saying that if there were an armory that were opened up that you would happily arm yourself and be part of some kind of resistance if it turns violent, then it would all be resolved sooner.  Is that what you’re saying?

Ahmed: That’s correct.  If we have access to weapons the resistance will be much more effective, and we will be able to take much more control in truth than we do at the moment.

Mullins: Well, how do you, I mean…

Ahmed: And I would be personally very happy to be active in that as well.

Mullins: That again is a man named Ahmed, he’s a critic of Muammar Gaddafi.  He spoke to us from Tripoli this afternoon.

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