Time to put up resistance against mobs: Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said it is time to put up resistance against mobs.

Fakhrul was speaking today (22 December) at a press conference, held at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka, organised jointly by the Editors' Council and Newspaper Owners' Association of Bangladesh (Noab), in protest against attacks on mass media and other institutions across the country. A human chain followed the event, and representatives of various businesses, social, political and cultural organisations joined these programmes in solidarity.

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"I have come here driven by my convictions and my heart. I do not know what kind of Bangladesh we are standing in at this moment. I am 78 years old. I have fought my entire life to see an independent, sovereign and democratic Bangladesh. 

"The Bangladesh we are seeing today is not the Bangladesh I ever dreamed of," the BNP leader lamented.

He continued, "This is very clear – there is not much to say – today, it is not The Daily Star, nor Prothom Alo; it is democracy itself that has come under attack."

"My right to think freely and my right to speak have once again been attacked. This is an attack on the July Uprising. The July Uprising was a fight to establish the rights of the people of this country, and today that has been struck," Fakhrul added.

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He urged everyone who believes in democracy, regardless of political ideology or party affiliation, to unite.

"Those of us who truly want to see Bangladesh as a genuinely independent, sovereign and democratic country cannot remain merely aware any longer; we must stand up. The time to put up resistance has arrived.

"Today, in every sphere and with all our strength, those who love Bangladesh must come together and resist these destructive forces."