Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, deceased
While the world absorbs the news that Gaddafi is dead, Twitter is alight with immediate responses (and seeming confusion over how to spell Gaddafi/Gadaffi/Qadhafi). Here’s how it’s playing out on the micro-blogging site:
Reuters kicked the frenzy off, tweeting “FLASH: Libya’s Gaddafi dies of wounds suffered in capture near Sirte – senior NTC military official”
The Associated Press saw irony in the dictator’s death: “Gadhafi’s end is the ultimate paradox. He preached a “revolutionary” utopia to Libyans but his rule fueled the revolution against him. -EF”
As attention turned to what this development may mean for the Middle East, Donald Rumsfeld tweeted “al-Assad & Ahmadinejad best heed this morning’s news on Gaddafi. Their people may decide they should be next.”
Channel 4 News man John Snow pondered the death’s timing: “Gadaffi takes many secrets to his convenient grave – many names..well beyond the LSE Board..oil bosses, current and former European leaders”
Libya tweeter @feb17voices reported on the local reaction: “LPC #Sirte: Fighters are celebrating with great joy…all the effort has paid off #Libya”
But some saw the global celebrations of a death as vulgar. @Remroum sarcastically cheered “Awesome! We get to celebrate death again. Gaddafi is dead. Let’s pass around photos, high five, & cheer on looking at a corpse.”
Meanwhile, many were offended by the horrific images of the dead or dying man that circled major news outlets. For example, minor celebrity Jay Rayner complained at The Guardian ”my 7yr old, who likes to play on the computer after school, has just been exposed to the pic of gaddafi. It shoudn’t be there”.
Columnist Sally Bercow questioned, “Who is going to disarm the Libyan rebels? The sooner the fruitloops give up their arms the better…” but was soon blasted down by Guido Fawkes: “Those “fruitloops” have fought to free themselves from an evil dictator, risking their lives to defend civilians from shelling”
Expert-on-everything Piers Morgan offered a global perspective: “Not a good year for Tyrants. #Mubarak #BinLaden #Gadhafi”
While David Cameron’s twitter feed focussed on those now free from the dictator’s reign: “PM: “Today is a day to remember all Qadhafi’s victims”. #Gadaffi”
