Saturday, January 25, 2020

Protests continue in Iraq even as Moqtada turns his back o them

  Retweeted
: "We have rights. We demand a better life." Iraq security forces: "We will kill you." The awful crackdown against peaceful protesters since October has resulted in 600+ killed, thousands injured & detained. This pattern must stop.




As noted in Friday's snapshot, Friday saw protests plural in Iraq.

You might be useless piece of s**t on Twitter if you reTweeted (yesterday or today) about Moqtada al-Sadr's march against US troops while ignoring the four-months-plus ongoing protests.  They're the ones who need the global attention.  They needed it before now, they need it desperately now. 

After 117 days of brutal crack down, political maneuvering against them, 600+killed and thousands of wounded protesters, this us what happened today. The global community has not supported much in pressuring the Iraqi govt to stop the violence against protesters.
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Samya Kullab and Qassim Abdul-Zahra (AP) report that at least 4 protesters are dead in Iraq today as they've been attacked by security forces who have "set fire to protesters' tents" as a result of Moqtada al-Sadr withdrawing his support from them.

Protesters chanting what seems to be a response to Al-Sader “the one sitting in Tehran” , they blame him for leaving the protest squares in Basra and Other cities which was followed by an attack from the security forces
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Grasp what happened: Moqtada betrayed the young protesters.  AP notes:

Al-Sadr withdrew support after tens of thousands of his followers staged a separate anti-US rally Friday in a nearby Baghdad neighborhood, which most anti-government demonstrators didn't attend.  A spokesperson for the cleric said the protesters insulted those participating in the anti-US rally and even obstructed access to the one in southern Iraq.



  1. Breaking: Live bullets on the demonstrators in now The revolutionaries are attacked by civilian unknown cars under the Iran backed government cover.
  2.   Retweeted
    Hey World, Iraqi government with the Iranian militias are killing peaceful Iraqi protestors


MIDDLE EAST EYE speaks with a protester:

Muhanned Rouabie, 42, is an unemployed engineer from Baghdad who is taking in the part in the protests. He told Middle East Eye that protestors had tried to keep riot police away from protest areas after they had torched his tent in Khilani square. 
“The government used all means to subdue the protests but they are failing. We will return to where they burned our tents and keep protesting," Rouabaie said. 
“If necessary, we will carry a weapon against anyone trying to attack us again. We will continue until we change this corrupt political class.”

“There is pressure from Iran over the Baghdad government to end the protests as it is in their interests, and Iran has forced the Iraqis to kill their own people and silent us. But we will never boy them." 




  1. al-Sadr withdrew his supporters from the sit-in squares was the price of obtaining the management of the Sumo Oil Company and the Iraqi Central Bank.


  1. Young people extinguish the tear gas canisters in their body in a stage of selflessness that is impossible to see.  It is the spirit of our youth and our heroes .. The least that can be described is that it is strong with the strength of Iraq.
  2. : Al Koot province protesters today protesting in thousands after withdrew his followers.


  1. Karbala is witnessing a strong logistical support that the square has not witnessed since the whole month, every five minutes a new car distributes food to the heroes, after withdrew his supports from the squares.


security forces storm protest sites from Baghdad to Basra after Muqtada Sadr withdraws protection for protestors. Some of the most violent security response in Nassriyah.



The following sites updated: