Sunday, March 01, 2020

The press keeps getting Iraq wrong (still)

Another attack on the Green Zone today in Iraq.  As usual, western outlets automatically assume the rocket attack was on the US Embassy in Baghdad because they don't believe Iraqi life matters, apparently.  Another journalistic piece of malpractice?  The repeated efforts to deliver the obituary on the Iraqi protests.  NPR most recently went to Jane Arraf to bury the protests.

Thing is, no matter how many times the press tries to bury these protests -- and they've been trying to since October -- they keep going.  Doubt it?  Hashem Osseiran and Haydar Indhar (AFP) report:

 Iraqi protesters had been rallying against government incompetence, poor public services and foreign meddling for months before a novel coronavirus outbreak. Then the epidemic arrived and breathed new life to their grievances.
"The real virus is Iraqi politicians," said Fatima, an 18-year-old protester and medical student from Baghdad.
"We are immune to almost everything else."
Across protest squares in the capital and southern hotspots, the anti-government demonstrators mobilised since October have started to take public health into their own hands.



 2 hours ago
Iraqi anti-government protesters: "Your snipers didn't deter us, what can coronavirus do?"
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The protests continue. 


  1.  15 hours ago
    Beautiful day in as thousands of protesters get together and from different cities showing their refusal of the current political system and the proposed cabinet in .
     
    1 reply20 retweets52 likes
     
     
  2.  7 hours ago
    Activist: The Iraqi revolution has proven that it is stronger than the Iranian scheme in Iraq and Iran-backed political parties & militias. Allawi withdraws his candidacy as prime minister despite Sadr's attempts to silence protesters.
    6 retweets13 likes
     
     


Guess what, Jane Arraf and NPR?  The protests are still here.

It's Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi who's gone.   Ghassan Adnan and Isabel Coles (WALL STREET JOURNAL) report, "Iraq’s prime minister-designate withdrew his candidacy for the position on Sunday, saying he faced obstruction from some political factions over reforms, deepening political turmoil in the country as it faces a growing coronavirus challenge."


 8 hours ago
A great victory for the Iraqi people & The uprising Tawfiq Allawi resigns after the protest by millions of protesters today. He was backed by regime and its militias in
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For those trying to keep track, Allawi was supposed to be imposed on the Iraqi people today by the president of Iraq who was using a power not granted to him in the Constitution.  After Parliament refused to vote on Allawi's Cabinet, Barham Salih insisted yesterday that if this took place again today, he would declare Allawi prime minister.


Didn't work out quite the way he wanted, did it?

 46 minutes ago
The President of anounced direct consultations with him about choosing an alternative candidate for Allawi over a period of 15 days.
1 retweet1 like
 
 




  1.  8 hours ago
    Incident comes shortly after PM-designate Mohamed Allawi withdrew from post after failing to form new government. Events throw back into another period of uncertainty as gives political blocs 15 days to agree on alternative candidate.
    2 replies4 retweets5 likes
     
     
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