Iraq protests: Crowds descend on Baghdad square defying curfew

The Iraqi capital Baghdad has become the scene of the largest rally since a second wave of anti-government demonstrations began in several cities last week.

According to Press TV, tens of thousands of Iraqi protesters gathered on Baghdad’s central Tahrir Square on Tuesday for a fifth successive day of protests driven by public discontent with economic hardship. 

Blaring horns and lighting fireworks, the demonstrators, many draped in Iraqi flags, took to the streets brimmed with cars, taxis, motorcycles and tuk-tuks.

The protesters were defying army orders to clear the streets between midnight and 6:00 a.m. local time.

Security forces stationed on Jumhuriya Bridge, which links Tahrir Square to the Green Zone, lobbed tear gas at the protesters.

At the start of October, street protests erupted in several Iraqi cities over unemployment and a lack of basic services.

An official investigation found that a total of 157 people, including civilians and security forces, had been killed in the first round of the rallies in the capital and other cities.

The rallies resumed on Friday after a pause of about two weeks. The gatherings have turned violent at some points over the past days, with conflicting unofficial reports of fatalities.

In a bid to placate the protesters, the parliament on Monday passed measures, including reduced salaries for officials, the formation of a committee to draft constitutional amendments, and the dissolution of all provincial and local councils outside the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region.

However, the measures have apparently failed to satisfy the protesters, with trade unions representing teachers, lawyers and dentists declaring strikes.

ME