Bangladeshi community celebrates resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Finland

Members of the Bangladeshi community gathered today to celebrate the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In Tampere, over a hundred people danced on a football field, while in Lappeenranta, community members shared meals together. Imran Azad from Tampere described the resignation as a day of celebration, mixed with sorrow over the loss of lives among students and ordinary citizens during the unrest.

“We are rejoicing because the dictator has left. At the same time, we are sad because many students and ordinary people have died,” Azad stated. He noted that the Bangladeshi community in Tampere is strong, making the organization of the celebration easy. “Many were at work today but still came. We want to be together; our culture is important to us,” he added.

Azad called the resignation unexpected. “We didn’t know it would happen today. Power is now with us, not the dictator,” he said. Many in the community have been closely monitoring events in Bangladesh, with Azad admitting he found it hard to sleep at night following the news.

During the gathering on the football field, participants held a moment of silence for the victims of the protests in Bangladesh and sang the national anthem together. Farhat Mahjabin expressed that Bangladeshis have regained their voice, feeling free from a dictator indifferent to their suffering. However, she reminded attendees that much work remains ahead.

Didar Hosain, who has lived in Finland for 18 years, invited friends to celebrate upon hearing the news of Hasina’s resignation. Hospitality included preparing Biryani, a festive dish in Bangladesh, and plenty of community members joined him for the celebration. Hosain, actively involved in organizing protests and speaking about the situation in Bangladesh, sees the resignation as a chance for a new beginning, hoping for a leader from a younger generation to initiate reforms. He emphasized the need to dismantle the corrupt political system.

The protests, which began with student movements demanding an end to a quota system favoring government-affiliated groups, culminated in calls for Hasina’s resignation. Reports indicate that at least 300 people have died in the unrest this summer.