Sun 25 October 2020:
Iraqi security forces fired water cannon and tear gas at the protesters during Sunday’s demonstrations to prevent them crossing fences on a bridge leading towards government buildings.
On Sunday protesters have gathered in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square to mark one year since a second wave of anti-government protests erupted and gripped Iraq.
The rallies renewed calls from early October last year, which saw the start of Iraq’s biggest anti-government protest movement since the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein, with demonstrations in the capital Baghdad and Iraq’s mainly Shia south demanding basic services, employment opportunities and an end to corruption.
“Our blood, our souls, we sacrifice for you Iraq,” chanted hundreds of protesters as they marched through the capital’s Tahrir Square, epicentre of the protest movement.
⭕_العاصمة بغداد .. الآن :
سيطرة المحمودية تمنع دخول سيارات ثوار المحافظات إلى العاصمة بغداد. pic.twitter.com/iOv0fppclo
— أبو حلاوة 🇮🇶🇮🇶🇮🇶✌️✌️ (@Fakhir1977) October 25, 2020
The demonstrations became a nationwide, decentralised movement that called a complete overhaul of the political system and slammed a political class protesters saw as more loyal to Iran and the US than to Iraqi citizens.
Large groups of protesters also gathered in other southern provinces including Nasiriya, Babylon, Wasit, and Basra, holding posters and chanting anti-government slogans.
Protesters from various parts of Iraq started making their way to the capital last night for Sunday’s protests.
While many managed to enter Baghdad and reach Tahrir Square, some riding cars and other vehicles were prevented by security forces, according to activists and journalists.
جسر الجمهورية الان #العراق_ينتفض #تشرين_الصمود_تعود pic.twitter.com/hMXcjFr4BP
— Mustafa|العِراق ينتَفض✌🏻🇮🇶 (@mustafa_zkh) October 25, 2020
Last year, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets to demand the removal of Iraq’s political elite, who they accused of incompetence, corruption and loyalty to Iran.
The protests forced the resignation of then-Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi. He was succeeded by al-Kadhimi, who promised to integrate protesters’ demands into his government’s plans.
But on the ground, little has been achieved. The new government has yet to deliver major reforms for country, including new elections, economic development, basic services and employment opportunities. The World Bank says one in three young people is unemployed.
Iraq has also witnessed a string of assassinations and forced disappearances of journalists and political activists since October last year.
Al-Kadhimi promised to investigate the killings, but no one has been held accountable yet.
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