Only in Tikrit ..
These folks must still be on Saddam's payroll <g>
Scores of Iraqi Sunnis, firing guns into the air, rally in support of Saddam
03:59 PM EDT Jul 03
BAGHDAD (AP) - Scores of Saddam Hussein's supporters marched Saturday in Sunni-dominated areas chanting for the deposed Iraqi president and condemning his trial as "illegitimate."
Saddam and 11 other senior officials faced a judge Thursday, a sight many Iraqis greeted with joy, but some among the Sunni minority greeted with horror.
More than 100 people carried Saddam's portraits, fired into the air, and chanted "We chose Saddam to be our leader" in Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, 130 kilometres north of Baghdad. Protesters held banners reading, "The trial of Saddam is illegitimate."
Protesters also took to the streets in the town of Buhriz, a former Saddam stronghold northeast of Baghdad, honking car horns and firing guns into the air.
"With our souls and blood, we redeem you Saddam," they chanted, mirroring slogans they had traditionally used to greet the former Iraqi leader.
"We should remember that when Saddam was gone, security was gone," Aouf Abdel Rahman, a Buhriz official said.
About 100 Saddam supporters rallied Friday in the Sunni-dominated city of Samarra, north of Baghdad.
The rallies were a stark contrast to the mood in Shiite neighbourhoods where thousands chanted "Saddam must be executed" following Friday prayer services.
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