 |
Confrontation at Um Qasr Port, Basra (Al Ghad Press) |
Iraqi activists continue to try to expand their actions. They were attempting to organize a general strike on Sunday November 3 via social media. Already schools have shut down after teachers and students walked out. Some unions and other professional groups have joined in as well. The Teachers’ Union for example extended their strike for another week. It seems only natural that they would try to build upon this even more.
Sit-ins are happening across Baghdad and southern Iraq in Babil, Basra city, outside the Majnoon oil field in Basra, Karbala, Amara, Samawa, and Najaf. For several
days now the entrance to the Um Qasr port in Basra has
been blocked. that led to clashes with the
security forces (ISF) on November 2 that included firing live ammo at the
crowd. There were protests in Qurna
and Fao in Basra, tear gas
was used to disperse a crowd in Nasiriya
and in Shatrah in Dhi Qar,
protesters tried to cut the railway leading out of Rumaitha in Muthanna, and the
demonstrations in Baquba
continued for another day with teachers
in Diyala saying they would continue with their work stoppage for another
week. Students in Kirkuk
left school as well. There is an ongoing
campaign of arrests and intimidation against people support the protests in
Anbar or thinking of joining hem. One person was taken in for simply posting
something on Facebook. In the capital protesters are now trying to push out
from Tahrir Square along two bridges. Since the start they have tried cross
Jumhoriya Bridge into the Green Zone. They have also made attempts on Senak Bridge
that leads to the Iranian embassy. On November 2 one person was
killed on Jumhoriya by the ISF. According to the Human Rights Commission, 260 protesters have died
since October 1. A female protester Saba Mahdawai was also kidnapped
by a group of men on her way home from Tahrir. Several activists have been
detained by the security forces since the unrest began. Those that get a lot of
media attention have eventually been released. Hopefully that will happen with
Saba. The others have disappeared into the various prisons run by the different
units of the government’s forces.
The political maneuverings over the future of Prime Minister
Abdul Mahdi entered another day. The head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Hossein
Salami said that Iran would protect its interests in other countries
against its enemies, which was a reference to Iraq. Quds Force Commander
General Qasim Suleimani is back in Iraq to
try to convince parties to back the premier. He is supposed to have a meeting
with Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani as well, who has come out for the protests and
against Tehran’s interference. Bolstered by Iran’s support the prime minister’s
adviser told the media he might head a
transitional government rather than step down as President Barham Salah
announced a few days ago. Moqtada al-Sadr and Badr/Fatah List head Hadi Amiri
are also in
talks about a possible replacement for the premier. Sadr wants more
including a new election law and voting, but that’s opposed by Amiri. Tehran’s gone
all in to maintain the status quo. Bigger picture this has now become a test of
wills between Ayatollahs Sistani and Ali Khamenei. More importantly it is
unlikely that any of these elites will push through the structural changes
which the protesters have called for.
SOURCES
Abdul-Zahra, Qassim, “Security forces kill protester in
Iraq, wound dozens,” Associated Press, 11/2/19
Al Arabiya, “Teachers’ union in Iraq announces the extension
of the strike until next Thursday,” 11/2/19
Baghdad Today, “Diyala teachers’ union confirms the
continuation of the strike until next Thursday,” 11/2/19
Al Ghad Press, “Pictures … Hilla demonstration just before,”
11/2/19
- “Pictures .. Kirkuk students in solidarity with the
demonstrators in Baghdad,” 11/2/19
- “Pictures .. Women’s demonstration in Najaf,” 11/2/19
Al Hadath, “#Iraq – Security forces use tear gas to disperse
protesters on Al-Senak Bridge,” Twitter, 11/2/19
Al Hurra, “Iraq .. Security disperses protesters using gas
in port of Umm Qasr and Dhi Qar,” 11/2/19
- “Testimonies of activists suppressing supporters of
protests in Anbar,” 11/2/19
Al Jazeera, “Iraqi protesters block major port near Basra as
unrest continues,” 11/2/19
Al Maalomah, “Adviser: Abdul Mahdi may assume the presidency
of the transitional government,” 11/2/19
Al Mada, “Calls for a general strike are heard from Baghdad
to Basra and fake accounts trying to incite demonstrators to engage,” 11/2/19
- “Human rights: 260 dead and 12 thousand wounded .. and
fires in 100 government and party buildings,” 11/2/19
Al Mirbad, “Continued participation of tribes in the sit-in
Basra,” 11/2/19
- “Demonstrations in Al-Faw district in support of Basra
protests,” 11/2/19
- “The demonstrations in Qurna continue at night,” 11/2/19
- “Karbala demonstrators remember the victims of the
demonstrations every night by lighting candles,” 11/2/19
- “A large increase in numbers in the arena of the sit-in
Samawa,” 11/2/19
- “Al-Rumaitha protesters in Muthanna threaten to cut the
railway line and prevent officials from traveling,” 11/2/19
- “A sit-in at the entrance of Majnoon oil field north of
Basra,” 11/2/19
- “The sit-in in Maysan continues for the ninth day in a row
with the participation of thousands,” 11/2/19
Nas News, “During her return from Tahrir Square .. News
about the kidnapping of an activist south Baghdad,” 11/2/19
Nasiriya TV, “Renewed clashes between demonstrators and
security services in Shatrah,” 11/2/19
NINA, “Protests In Diyala To Demand Implementing Legitimate
Demands Renewed,” 11/2/19
Al-Salhy, Suadad, “Tehran fury as Iraq’s Shiite leadership
rejects Iranian ‘interference,’” Arab News, 11/2/19
Sattar, Omar, “Iraqi president pledges early elections while
protesters call for more radical solutions,” Al Monitor, 11/1/19
No comments:
Post a Comment