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(Thread/ 1) Iraq is in a dark place. The economy is collapsing, covid is rampant, and militias have grown so powerful that critics can be gunned down with impunity. But one year ago tonight, on the cusp of resumed mass protests, things looked very different.
(2) By eve of Oct 25th, streets of Baghdad & southern cities were thronged with protesters. Led by neither parties nor sect, they railed against US & Iranian influence alike. Iraq’s ruling class panicked & closed ranks. Almost 600 people were killed. No one has been prosecuted.
(3) Although Iraq’s 2019/2020 protests didn’t draw much attention in the West, they were a direct legacy of the 2003 US-led invasion, an event which set Iraq on a renewed path toward tragedy as it poisoned politics in the US and UK as well.
(4) With little plan for the day after, the invasion birthed a new politics which hardened sectarianism as a new ruling class gained power. They used resources to rally supporters from their sects. Graft mushroomed. Today, Iraq is one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
(5) Significance of last year’s protests lay in fact that they were asking for quite the opposite - a future free from control by parties, sectarian leaders, or international interference. They grew politicised over time, but were born from a spontaneous cry for a better life.
(6) The crackdown was fierce: live ammo, weighty tear gas canisters fired directly at people’s heads. We saw brains literally split open by smoking canisters, & medical points & ambulances attacked. In one hospital, a young man said he'd been run over by an armoured vehicle.
(7) Numbers of dead can feel overwhelming sometimes, so here is the story of just three of them. Thinking of their families tonight: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iraq-kadhimi-protests-justice/2020/10/04/507e7be0-a020-11ea-be06-af5514ee0385_story.html
(8) If almost 600 people were killed, then imagine how many families and friends were affected. Ripple affects continue to this day. Some young women who loved the slain protesters couldn't even mourn in public. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/02/28/when-iraqi-men-perish-ramparts-protest-women-they-secretly-loved-must-hide-away-their-grief/?arc404=true
(9) With resumed protests scheduled for tomorrow, Iraqi security forces are on high alert. In Baghdad, roads towards the central Tahrir Square are heavily policed, and the gates to the Green Zone have been barricaded. The prime minister is due to speak in an hour.
Iraqi PM says his government has made “big strides” in satisfying protesters’ demands in months since he took power. Say security forces under “strict instructions” to protect the protesters. Doubles down on promise that early election will take place June 6 - tough to achieve.
