newYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Thousands of followers of an influential Shiite cleric stormed the Iraqi parliament on Saturday for the second time in a week to protest government formation efforts led by Iran-backed groups.
Iraqi security forces initially tried to repel demonstrators using tear gas and acoustic bombs, causing several injuries witnessed by an Associated Press journalist. said to have accepted
The scheduled parliament did not meet and there were no deputies in the hall.
Heeding the call of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, demonstrators used ropes to pull down cement barricades leading to the gates of Iraq’s Green Zone. The district has official buildings and foreign embassies.
I was exposed to toxic burn pits in Iraq.Republicans have turned their backs on veterans like me
Demonstrators then occupied the parliamentary chamber, hoisting Iraqi flags and saddle portraits. This is his second time in three days that a clergyman has ordered a sit-in in the Green Zone. The protests are a pressure tactic the cleric uses to thwart efforts to form a government led by his political rivals in the Coalition Framework, an alliance of Iran-backed Shia political parties.
Iraqi interim prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi instructed security forces to protect the demonstrators and urged them to keep the protests peaceful, according to a statement. Inside the Capitol, security forces’ defenses were weakened and many people were seen sitting and conversing with demonstrators.
Some protesters began moving from Congress toward the Judiciary Council building.
Former Special Operations Soldier Returns to Iraq — But This Time With a Harvard Master’s Degree
“We have come today to eliminate the corrupt political class, prevent them from holding parliament and prevent the framework from forming a government,” said 41-year-old Raad Thabet. .
Al-Sadr’s party ended regime talks in June, giving his rivals in the Coordination Framework Alliance the majority they needed to move the process forward.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Many protesters wore black to mark the day leading up to the Ashura, which marks the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and one of Shia Islam’s most important figures. Sadr’s message to followers used the important day of Shia Islam to spark protests.
Al Sadr has used his large grassroots following as leverage against his rivals.
Hundreds of his supporters stormed the parliament on Wednesday after the Framework Alliance nominated Muhammad al-Sudani as prime minister’s candidate and showed he was ready to form a government despite his threats. attacked.