Bangladesh protesters destroy house linked to exiled former leader Hasina
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Bangladesh: Protesters Torch Ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Home
Above: Protesters set fire to Hasina's residence in Dhaka on Feb. 5, 2025. Image copyright: Mehedi Hasan/Contributor/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
The Facts
Thousands of protesters demolished and set fire to the residence of Bangladesh's founding leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in Dhaka on Wednesday evening, as his daughter and ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina delivered an online address from exile in India.
The attack was organized as a "Bulldozer Procession" by student protesters who used cranes and excavators to destroy the building, which served as a museum.
The demolition coincided with Hasina's scheduled 9 pm (local time) online speech, in which she called on supporters to resist the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
The Spin
Narrative A
This is an attack on Bangladesh's democratic heritage and history. The interim government has unconstitutionally seized power and is allowing the destruction of national monuments. The protesters are being manipulated to erase the country's founding principles and values. Bangladesh has become a land of terrorists — they can demolish a building, but not the history.
Narrative B
The violence is a result of public anger sparked by Hasina's provocative remarks. The destruction symbolizes the people's rejection of decades of authoritarian rule and corruption. She should be extradited, arrested, and convicted for widespread human rights violations, suppression of dissent, and crimes against humanity and genocide for justice to prevail in Bangladesh.
Metaculus Prediction
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