12 shall not treat them with soft gloves anymore. They are our enemies. (Source: ZBC 22/03/2003 transcribed by Media Monitoring Project, Zimbabwe) In July 2005, Mugabe told the youths at the rally held to celebrate the ruling party’s victory in the disputed March 31 parliamentary election: “There is no way I can take it that some of the ZANU PF youths can be beaten by those from the opposition…. You have to fight back, why are you so lazy (to fight),” Speaking at the burial of Swithun Mombeshora, he said: “I address you hardly two days after a violent campaign by traitors and enemies of our country who claim they are fighting for a democratic order. In an effort to enforce, I repeat, to enforce the success of their so-called mass action, they engaged in the violent intimidation of our peace loving citizens who wanted to go about their lawful daily pursuits. The money used to organize the pretended stay away to pay our youth to self-destruct and turn them into career-purveyors of violence came from the so-called democracies of the West. The West pays for the violence meted amongst our people here. They give the money. It came from Britain, from the United States of America, from countries like Holland and Germany through their ostensibly humanitarian or civic organizations or foundations. All these nations were united in sponsoring violence here. They were urging the MDC to do something. Anything that would spark out some resistance, some fireworks. Even a death would count and be seen as opposition to the party and ruling party in Zimbabwe. These nations that sponsored violence are the same nations that opposed our fight of freedom and we remember that very well. …And we were seen as the violators of the rule of justice and Ian Smith as the upholder of those rules. … I remember when in 1976 we met with the British at the Geneva Conference. The press in Britain were (sic) focused on Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo. I was the Hitler of the times. I am still the Hitler of the times. If Hitler had fought for the justice of mankind, many nations would not have fought against him. This Hitler has only one objective; justice for his people, sovereignty for his people, recognition of the independence of his people and their right over their resources. If that is Hitler like, then let me be a Hitler ten fold, ten times. That’s what we stand for, that’s what the party stands for, that’s what the ruling party stands for, that’s what the present government stands for. What persons would we be if we allowed our will to be subjected to the will of Britain, the will of Blair, the will of Bush? So read us correctly. We stand for justice. … But when freedom of expression that is supported by the West is one to promote violence and terrorism, then to us that freedom of expression will have turned against the rights and lives of our people. They also have the right to live, the right to remain unassailed by other individuals. Your right of expression does not extend to the right of interference with the lives of others. If it does then it becomes criminal. It becomes an offence and my government cannot stand aside and allow you to unleash that kind of violence. Our law enforcing agents we have said must react promptly and with vigour in providing appropriate responses to dangerous mischief-makers. Someone told me, because I don’t read the rubbish press. But some of my people read (the private press) and say that there is an ultimatum. Ultimatum from whom? A sellout? Tsvangirai saying Their words condemn them: The language of violence, intolerance and despotism in Zimbabwe.