Status: 01.10.2022 17:07
Mass protests against the government broke out in Iraq three years ago – 600 people died. On the anniversary, thousands demonstrated again against the government. Dozens were apparently injured in clashes with security forces.
Thousands have taken to the streets of Iraq to mark the third anniversary of nationwide protests against the country’s corruption. As a reporter from the AFP news agency reported, mostly very young demonstrators chanted: “The people are demanding the fall of the regime.” Thousands gathered accordingly on Tahrir Square in Baghdad.
Clashes broke out between security forces and demonstrators, in which at least nine civilians and 19 security forces were injured, the state news agency INA reported, citing Iraqi security forces.
Iraqi demonstrators tried to enter the highly secured Green Zone of the capital Baghdad via the al-Jumhuriya Bridge.
Image: AFP
Long political crisis
Among other things, demonstrators threw stones and Molotov cocktails at the security forces. Law enforcement officials fired tear gas to keep crowds from entering the highly secured Green Zone, home to state institutions and embassies, eyewitnesses said. Protesters recently occupied the area for weeks.
Iraq has been in a political crisis for a long time. No new government has been formed since the parliamentary elections in October. The rival political forces have been wrestling with each other for months. The oil-rich but war-ravaged country is also struggling with severe environmental and economic crises.
demand for reforms
On October 1, 2019, mass protests broke out against the country’s political leadership and the poor economic situation. At least 600 people died in the crackdown and tens of thousands were injured. Repression and corona restrictions caused the demonstrations to die down.
At the latest protest, people have again called for political reforms in the country and punishment for those responsible for the protesters’ deaths. Many held portraits of the dead in their hands.