Iraq students join protests as pressure on govt swells

Iraqi students joined anti-government protests in Baghdad yesterday, ramping up the street pressure on Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi who also faced a surprise sit-in from parliament’s largest bloc.

The capital and country’s south have been rocked by a second wave of demonstrations since Thursday, with protesters digging in despite tear gas, curfews and violence that has left over 60 dead.

On Sunday morning, students could be seen joining demonstrations in the capital, with activists saying about a dozen schools and universities had decided to shut their doors and take part in protests en masse.

In the emblematic Tahrir Square, young girls in school uniforms with rucksacks were seen trekking through streets littered with tear gas canisters. Hundreds of protesters had hunkered down in the square, defying heavy tear gas use overnight and pledging to “weed out” the political class.

“We’re here to bring down the whole government—to weed them all out!” one protester said, the Iraqi tricolour wrapped around his head. The protests are unprecedented in recent Iraqi history for their ire at the entire political class, including Abdel Mahdi, parliament speaker Mohammed Al-Halbussi and even traditionally revered religious leaders.

They have also been exceptionally violent, with 157 dead in the first set of rallies and 63 dead in the latest round.

“We don’t want a single one of them. Not Halbussi, not Abdel Mahdi. We want to bring down the regime,” the protester said.

Women were also seen in larger numbers, including a young nurse who said she was protesting “for the generation that’s coming”.

“Our generation is psychologically tired, but it’s alright as long as this is for the next one,” she said.

This week’s protests are the sequel to six days of anti-government rallies that erupted on October 1 in outrage at corruption, unemployment and poor services.

Oil-rich Iraq is the OPEC oil cartel’s second biggest producer, but one in five people live in poverty and youth unemployment stands at 25 percent, according to the World Bank.

In response to the rallies, Abdel Mahdi proposed a laundry list of reforms including hiring drives, increased pensions and promises to root out corruption.

But Iraqis hit the streets once again this week, and Abdel Mahdi now faces escalated pressure from parliament.

The body failed to reach quorum for a scheduled session on Saturday to discuss protester demands.

 

Iraq students join protests as pressure on govt swells

Iraqi students joined anti-government protests in Baghdad yesterday, ramping up the street pressure on Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi who also faced a surprise sit-in from parliaments largest bloc. The capital and countrys south have been rocked by a second wave of demonstrations since Thursday, with protesters digging in despite tear gas, curfews and violence that has left over 60 dead. On Sunday morning, students could be seen joining demonstrations in the capital, with activists saying about a dozen schools and universities had decided to shut their doors and take part in protests en masse. In the emblematic Tahrir Square, young girls in school uniforms with rucksacks were seen trekking through streets littered with tear gas canisters. Hundreds of protesters had hunkered down in the square, defying heavy tear gas use overnight and pledging to weed out the political class. Were here to bring down the whole governmentto weed them all out! one protester said, the Iraqi tricolour wrapped around his head. The protests are unprecedented in recent Iraqi history for their ire at the entire political class, including Abdel Mahdi, parliament speaker Mohammed Al-Halbussi and even traditionally revered religious leaders. They have also been exceptionally violent, with 157 dead in the first set of rallies and 63 dead in the latest round. We dont want a single one of them. Not Halbussi, not Abdel Mahdi. We want to bring down the regime, the protester said. Women were also seen in larger numbers, including a young nurse who said she was protesting for the generation thats coming. Our generation is psychologically tired, but its alright as long as this is for the next one, she said. This weeks protests are the sequel to six days of anti-government rallies that erupted on October 1 in outrage at corruption, unemployment and poor services. Oil-rich Iraq is the OPEC oil cartels second biggest producer, but one in five people live in poverty and youth unemployment stands at 25 percent, according to the World Bank. In response to the rallies, Abdel Mahdi proposed a laundry list of reforms including hiring drives, increased pensions and promises to root out corruption. But Iraqis hit the streets once again this week, and Abdel Mahdi now faces escalated pressure from parliament. The body failed to reach quorum for a scheduled session on Saturday to discuss protester demands.