Iraq protesters attack Iran consulate in Shiite holy city Karbala

Amidst the ongoing anti-government protests in Baghdad and majority-Shiite provinces in the south, Iraqi demonstrators attacked the Iran consulate in the holy city of Karbala on November 3. Protesters scaled the concrete barriers, brought down an Iranian flag and replaced it with an Iraqi one. As reported by the witnesses, in retaliation, the security forces fired in the air to disperse the protesters who threw stones and even burned tires around the building in the city south of Baghdad. There are no immediate casualties in the protests.

Angered protesters 

The protesters are mainly directed towards the postwar political system and the class of elite leaders that Iraqis accuse of hindering the country's wealth while it is growing even poorer. Along with that, the demonstrators are also angry towards their neighbouring country, Iran and the powerful Iraqi Shiite military forces linked to it. The anger among the protesters has often turned the demonstrations, violent. A day before they attacked the Iranian consulate, protesters blocked the main roads in Baghdad and parked their cars at major junctions of the city while the police refrained from intervening. Nearly 250 people have been killed amidst frequent clashes with the security forces. However, the protests have grown stronger while calling for drastic changes in the policy and not just the government's resignation.

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'It is time for normal life': PM

Iraqi Prime Minister, Adel Abdul Mahdi also said on November 3 that it is time for life to return to normal and asked the protesters to reopen the roads. This is also after month-long protests across the major cities in the country demanding a wide-ranging political change. Furthermore, PM Mahdi also made a statement to reopen the schools and markets in the capital and across the mostly Shiite south. According to the Iraqi PM, the threats of closing the oil facilities and the blocked roads have cost the country in 'billions' of dollars and further affected the prices which are a cause of trouble for everyone. PM Mahdi had made a distinction between peaceful protesters, who according to him have made the demonstrations into 'popular festivals' which are responsible for bringing the nation together, and “outlaws” who use the demonstrators as “human shields” to attack the security forces. The Iraqi PM had also met with top security officials on November 2.

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Political crisis in Iraq

Iraq has been witnessing the consecutive days of tens and thousands of protesters who are demanding for an economic reform along with the removal of the country's politically favourable officials. Amid the escalating political crisis, PM Mahdi had said earlier that he will not leave voluntarily, however, he will call an election unilaterally after the parliament votes in absolute majority to dissolve itself. Protesters gathered in Baghdad's central Tahrir Square asking the government to meet their demands on October 29 which was also the largest of its kind of eruption during the second wave of protests in the country. These protesters have also been retaliated by the police forces in a violent manner, with the use of tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition. Nearly 250 people have died since the demonstrations began on October 1.

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(With AP inputs)