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On Saturday, anti-Iraqi protesters defied lockdown measures and the threat of violence to hold demonstrations in several Iraqi cities, during which further clashes with security forces resulted in the death of a protester in Kut, while protesters in Nasiriyah chanted slogans condemning the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr.
Tensions escalated in several Iraqi cities on Saturday after clashes between protesters, activists from the protest movement that began about a year ago and supporters of Sadr.
Al-Sadr had invited his supporters to demonstrate on Friday to demonstrate the strength of his political movement, to which tens of thousands of people responded in Baghdad and other cities.
In the southern city of Nassiriya, anti-government activists accused Sadr supporters of shooting at them and burning their tents at their main gathering place in Al-Haboubi square on Friday night.
And medical sources told France Press that as of Saturday morning, seven people were killed, five of them by bullets, and at least 60 others were injured.
A large demonstration took place from Haboubi Square on Saturday afternoon in honor of those who lost their lives in the violence a year ago.
The protesters marched from the square to the Zaytoun Bridge, holding symbolic coffins.
During a Ramzi funeral held for the victims in Nasiriyah, hundreds marched through the city center carrying empty coffins draped with the Iraqi flag and photographs of the victims of the attacks that took place on Friday, chanting slogans condemning Sadr, including ” There is no god but God, Muqtada is the enemy of God. “
After the massacre # Muqtada_al-Sadr Thousands in Nasiriyah singing:
There is no god but Allah
Muqtada, the enemy of God ..#Turkey pic.twitter.com/hFMnJoWnkg– Montazer Abdel Karim (@ makbh9) November 28, 2020
Nasiriyah is a major stronghold of the anti-government protest movement that began in October 2019. Protesters accuse the authorities of corruption, impiety and dependence on Iran.
Video footage released by activists on Saturday showed plainclothes officers firing light weapons at protesters in Nasiriyah during Friday’s clashes, in front of Iraqi security forces, who did not lift a finger.
The peace of the Sadrist movement is very clear. #Nasiriya_ will not be submitted pic.twitter.com/jrUiFTOocC
– Yasser Eljuboori (@YasserEljuboori) November 28, 2020
Tension also prevailed in the city of Amarah, with strict security measures, while the violence took place on Saturday afternoon in the city of Kut. A police source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP that one protester died and three others were injured during clashes with security forces.
Document the moment of hitting a demonstrator # وسط … #Nasiriya_squad#Youth_Change
Our Telegram channel: https://t.co/EcS5WI8hxB pic.twitter.com/i8uLhnHdtrYouth of Change # Iraq (@YcIraq) November 28, 2020
The authorities imposed new restrictions on movement in Kut at dawn on Saturday. The police used tear gas canisters in an attempt to evacuate the protest plaza in the city and remove the tents.
Anger against Al-Kazemi
The violence coincided with the first anniversary of one of the bloodiest incidents since the start of the protest movement in Iraq.
More than 30 people were killed in the violence related to the protests at the Zaitoun Bridge in Nassiriya on November 28, 2019.
That incident sparked a wave of widespread anger in Iraq and helped pressure Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi to resign.
New Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi reached out to the protesters, as he sought to fulfill one of their most important demands by passing parliamentary elections in June 2021.
The elections will be held in accordance with a new law. Instead of voting on lists, voting will take place on individuals and smaller districts. However, most observers hope to postpone the vote date by at least a few months.
But protesters in Nasiriyah chanted slogans expressing their anger at Al-Kazemi on Saturday. Despite the imposition of a curfew in the city on Friday evening, angry protesters gathered in Al-Haboubi square since Saturday morning and their numbers increased during the day.
Some carried a banner with the images of Al-Kazemi and Abdul-Mahdi, which read “Two sides of the same coin.”
Former Sadrist official in Nasiriyah, Asaad Al-Nassiri, called on the prime minister to resign.
Al-Nasiri said in a tweet on Twitter: “Present your resignation, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, have mercy on yourself and serve Iraq with that.”
Al-Kazemi has moved the CTS at that time on the basis of the release of the kidnapped Sajjad! What are you doing now, after what happened today in Al-Haboubi square with the blood that bled? Note that Nasiriyah is preparing for the Jamil Al-Shammari massacre tomorrow! Present your resignation, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, have mercy on yourself and serve Iraq by doing so.
– Asaad Nasiri (@asaadalnaseri) November 27, 2020
Police were not present in Al-Haboubi Square, but a security source told France Press that security forces had been deployed on the outskirts of the city to prevent non-Nasiriyah residents from entering.
The authorities fired the chief of police in Dhi Qar, whose center is Nasiriyah, opened an investigation into the accidents and imposed a curfew.
However, there is no high hope in the official investigation, as the families of the victims of last year’s violence are still calling for justice.
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