Iraq Mass day of protest planned for Friday

[Crux]

Iraq

Mass day of protest planned for Friday

www.socialistworld.net, 23/02/2011
website of the committee for a workers' international, CWI
Protests continue in Kurdistan
Abbas Sdiq, CWI Sweden
http://www.socialistworld.net/img/20110223Grafik2114604669413600703.jpg
Friday, 25 February, will likely see the largest of the recent country-wide demonstrations, so far, in Iraq. In Kurdistan, mass protests continue despite the KDP government’s forces shooting at the demonstrations and killing four protesters.
On Monday, 21 February, around 2,000 people took part in a demonstration in Sulaymaniyah. Staff from the city hospital participated after a meeting in their workplace. "We are with the protesters and taking part in the protests," explained Doctor Kawa Sabah. Employees from the university also joined in protest over last week’s deadly shootings.



The protests have spread to more cities in Iraqi-Kurdistan. In Kalar, Dervendishan and Halabja, demonstrations took place on Monday and more will follow in the coming days. The demonstrations in Karal and Dervendishan involved 200 people each, and several were arrested.
On Monday, a 17-year-old, Sherko Mohammed, was killed by police bullets in Sulaymaniyah and one protester, Surkiu, died in hospital of a gunshot wound he received last week. On Monday, 47 people were reported injured.


The ruling parties in Iraqi-Kurdistan, the KDP and PUK, claim they want ‘negotiations’ with leaders of the opposition. But even the established opposition party, Gorran (Change), says no and demands the government’s resignation. Gorran has taken a cautious approach and not directly participated in the protests. The initiative has come from young people.
The KDP has, like other regimes in the region, threatened more violence. Fazel Mirani, a the KDP leader, said that if someone were to attack the KDP’s party centre "[we] should we cut off his hand." Protesters replied that they would then cut off Mirani’s whole arm!
Close co-operation with US imperialism

The KDP and PUK have jointly controlled Kurdistan in Iraq as an autonomous region since the first US invasion in 1991, with the exception of a civil war between the two parties from 1994-96. Their close cooperation with the US imperialism, and a relative calm situation on the surface in Iraqi-Kurdistan society, has not led to any fundamental difference in the lives of the population compared to the rest of Iraq. Every day, there is only electricity for 10 hours and there is no clean water. Poverty and unemployment are widespread. Often only police or army jobs are available, which means that the KDP and PUK have built up a huge police and security apparatus.



The anger is now focussing on KDP President Barzani and the level of corruption, but protesters also addresses many social concerns, especially demanding an end to mass unemployment.
The protest movement throughout Iraq, which draws strength from the revolutionary movements in the entire region, need to step up to strikes and workers’ participation, as an organized force. Egypt and Tunisia have shown that dictators can be overthrown, but also that the fight must go on and be directed against the entire capitalist system.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Iraq braces itself for demonstrations

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/2011224192028229471.html

[RadioRaheem84]

YES! Let's see what the US media has to say about this one. :thumbup:

[The Vegan Marxist]

^Isn't it obvious? You pretty much have three choices:

Support in massive military crackdown;
The agreement in economic sanctions; or
Invasion (more like re-building for what's left of US military in Iraq)

[A Revolutionary Tool]

I can already see what the war-mongers are going to say.

"We pulled out too fast and now anti-U.S. forces including Al-Qaeda are going to topple their democracy because they're savages and can't function with a democracy."

I mean the Iraqi PM has already stated that Saddam and Al-Qaeda supporters are behind this, it's only going to be a matter of time before the protesters are labeled terrorists and the government/U.S. "security forces" there will step in.

[Crux]

I thought Al-Qaida was busy in Libya. At least that's what Qaddafi says. Any way, let's hope the US-puppet can be ousted in Iraq as well.

[Rusty Shackleford]

http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/0225-orage-iraq-day-of-rage/9653654-1-eng-US/0225-ORAGE-iraq-day-of-rage_full_380.jpg
Source (http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/0225/Iraqis-stage-day-of-rage-despite-government-lockdown)

Baghdad An unprecedented lockdown of Iraq (http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Topics/Iraq)'s capital failed to deter thousands of Iraqis from protesting today, serving notice that the antigovernment rage sweeping the Arab world will not be easily extinguished here.

The "day of rage" protests (http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/0223/Iraq-attempts-to-defuse-huge-protest-planned-for-Friday) rocked other Iraqi cities as well, as demonstrators burned or tried to storm government buildings from the southern port of Basra to the northern cities of Mosul and Huwaijah, where at least five protesters were shot dead by security forces.
The Iraqi government on Thursday gave Baghdad residents only a half-hour’s warning that, starting at midnight, vehicles would be banned from the roads until further notice. Despite the measure, demonstrators walked for hours today to reach Tahrir (Liberation) Square. Police estimated a turnout of up to 4,000 people. Eight years since Saddam Hussein was toppled, many Iraqis say their lives are still almost as difficult now as they were then.



Baghdad’s international airport was also shut down, and the fortress-like green zone, a mini-city housing the Iraqi government and the huge US embassy, was further sealed off with new concrete barriers. The moves followed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's warnings that protests would be infiltrated by Saddam Hussein loyalists and targeted by Al Qaeda suicide bombers.
There were no bombs or shootings but Jumhuriya Bridge, the main access point to the green zone, became a battleground in Friday’s demonstration when protestors tried to breach newly installed concrete barriers.
Protesters want jobs, better social services

Despite government attempts to portray the demonstration as politically motivated, many of the young men who raged against Mr. Maliki had much more basic reasons, complaining of a lack of jobs and public services and of the perception that in a country listed as among the world’s most corrupt, officials are stealing the wealth.
“I’m a laborer. I work one day and stay at home for a month,” says Oday Kareem, part of a group screaming that the prime minister was a liar. “He said people will do better than they did under Saddam Hussein – where is it?’
A small group of young men began to hurl stones, sticks, and even shoes – a major insult in the Arab world – at riot police arrayed in front of the blast barriers near the foot of the bridge. More police with batons and plastic shields were deployed to beat them back.
The melee started a near stampede with people almost crushed against the walls as the police surged forward, wielding their batons to chase the protestors off the bridge. Iraqi Army helicopters stirred up clouds of dust while senior Iraqi officers and officials watched the protest unfold from the shell of a high-rise building nearby.
'If this were in Saddam's time'

Amid the chaos, there were touching scenes of many demonstrators trying to prevent others from throwing stones – one of them wrapping his arms around another young man to keep him from hurling a rock. Many of the organizers have gone to great lengths to try to ensure the protests remain peaceful and independent of political parties.
Security appeared under orders not to use live fire or rubber bullets to subdue the crowd. “If this were in Saddam’s time, every one of those demonstrators would have been shot dead,” says a police spokesman.
Some of the protesters said Maliki’s comments that Baathists and Saddam loyalists were behind the demonstrations had prompted them to come out.
“None of us are Baathists – we were all oppressed by Saddam,” says Yanar Mohammad, the director of a women’s rights organization, adding they would continue to try to tear down the walls of the green zone. “This is a historic day.”

[Crux]

Security appeared under orders not to use live fire or rubber bullets to subdue the crowd. “If this were in Saddam’s time, every one of those demonstrators would have been shot dead,” says a police spokesman.
...staring nostalgically into the distance.

[Red Commissar]

It seems the governor of Basra province resigned in response to the demonstrations in that province.