SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Echoes of Arab Spring as Sunni Protests Spread Across Iraq
Week of protests, road blockages against Prime Minister al-Maliki continue
Dec 28, 2012
Tens of thousands took to the streets across Iraq on Friday in a day of national protest containing echoes of other popular uprisings that have taken place across the Middle East in the last two years.
Declaring it a "Friday of honor" and echoing chants reminiscent of the Arab Spring, the day was marked with mass rallies fueled by calls for a new government. Demonstrations leading up to today's events included protests in several cities and a week-long blockade of a major roadway.
The protest movement, made up of Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority, erupted last week in opposition to Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who protesters say has been suppressing Sunni rights in favor of the country's Shi'ite majority.
Throughout the country protesters chanted "the people want to bring down the regime," a chant widely used during the Egyptian, Tunisian and other uprisings. During the day, demonstrations formed in Fallujah, the northern city of Mosul, Samarra, and numerous other towns and cities. Friday saw the largest turnout of protesters yet in the consecutive days of outrage and road blockages.
The main highway at Ramadi, 100km west of Baghdad and 50km west of Fallujah--a main delivery route for government supplies and trade to and from Jordan and Syria--was blockaded by protesters for the fifth day in a row. The protesters were reportedly allowing private goods to pass through.
"Activists demands include an end to the marginalization of Sunnis, the abolition of anti-terrorism laws they say are used to target them, and the release of detainees," Reuters reports.
The protests erupted last week when troops loyal to Maliki detained the bodyguards of Finance Minister Rafaie al-Esawi, a Sunni, hours after Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd who is viewed as a unifying force among rival groups in the country, was flown abroad for medical care.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Jacob Chamberlain
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.
Tens of thousands took to the streets across Iraq on Friday in a day of national protest containing echoes of other popular uprisings that have taken place across the Middle East in the last two years.
Declaring it a "Friday of honor" and echoing chants reminiscent of the Arab Spring, the day was marked with mass rallies fueled by calls for a new government. Demonstrations leading up to today's events included protests in several cities and a week-long blockade of a major roadway.
The protest movement, made up of Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority, erupted last week in opposition to Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who protesters say has been suppressing Sunni rights in favor of the country's Shi'ite majority.
Throughout the country protesters chanted "the people want to bring down the regime," a chant widely used during the Egyptian, Tunisian and other uprisings. During the day, demonstrations formed in Fallujah, the northern city of Mosul, Samarra, and numerous other towns and cities. Friday saw the largest turnout of protesters yet in the consecutive days of outrage and road blockages.
The main highway at Ramadi, 100km west of Baghdad and 50km west of Fallujah--a main delivery route for government supplies and trade to and from Jordan and Syria--was blockaded by protesters for the fifth day in a row. The protesters were reportedly allowing private goods to pass through.
"Activists demands include an end to the marginalization of Sunnis, the abolition of anti-terrorism laws they say are used to target them, and the release of detainees," Reuters reports.
The protests erupted last week when troops loyal to Maliki detained the bodyguards of Finance Minister Rafaie al-Esawi, a Sunni, hours after Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd who is viewed as a unifying force among rival groups in the country, was flown abroad for medical care.
Jacob Chamberlain
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.
Tens of thousands took to the streets across Iraq on Friday in a day of national protest containing echoes of other popular uprisings that have taken place across the Middle East in the last two years.
Declaring it a "Friday of honor" and echoing chants reminiscent of the Arab Spring, the day was marked with mass rallies fueled by calls for a new government. Demonstrations leading up to today's events included protests in several cities and a week-long blockade of a major roadway.
The protest movement, made up of Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority, erupted last week in opposition to Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who protesters say has been suppressing Sunni rights in favor of the country's Shi'ite majority.
Throughout the country protesters chanted "the people want to bring down the regime," a chant widely used during the Egyptian, Tunisian and other uprisings. During the day, demonstrations formed in Fallujah, the northern city of Mosul, Samarra, and numerous other towns and cities. Friday saw the largest turnout of protesters yet in the consecutive days of outrage and road blockages.
The main highway at Ramadi, 100km west of Baghdad and 50km west of Fallujah--a main delivery route for government supplies and trade to and from Jordan and Syria--was blockaded by protesters for the fifth day in a row. The protesters were reportedly allowing private goods to pass through.
"Activists demands include an end to the marginalization of Sunnis, the abolition of anti-terrorism laws they say are used to target them, and the release of detainees," Reuters reports.
The protests erupted last week when troops loyal to Maliki detained the bodyguards of Finance Minister Rafaie al-Esawi, a Sunni, hours after Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd who is viewed as a unifying force among rival groups in the country, was flown abroad for medical care.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.