US-Created System In Iraq Is Collapsing: Protesters Storm Parliament, State of Emergency Declared
30
April, 2016
Less
than two years ago, the US set up another puppet government in the
mid-east this time in the state of Iraq when following substantial US
pressure, on August 14, 2014 then prime minister al-Maliki agreed to
stepped down and be replaced with Haider al-Abadi.
Today, the regime is in chaos and the system set up in Iraq by the US is collapsing when protesters loyal to popular Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr breached the heavily fortified Green Zone, home to government buildings and foreign embassies, and stormed the Iraqi parliament, forcing MPs to flee and resulting in a state of emergency being declared for all of Baghdad.
As can be seen in the above photo (and live webcast), hundreds of demonstrators occupied the country's parliament. Video from inside the building showed jubilant crowds waving Iraqi flags and shouting "peaceful, peaceful." Supporters of Sadr, whose fighters once controlled swaths of Baghdad and helped defend the capital from ISIS, have been demonstrating for weeks at the gates of the Green Zone, responding to their leader's call to pressure the government to reform.
Cited by NBC, Brig. Gen. Saad Mann, a spokesman for the Iraqi military, said that Iraq security authorities have declared a state of emergency in Baghdad. "All gates that lead to Baghdad are closed. No one is allowed to enter into Baghdad, only those who want to leave Baghdad can do so." "There is no evacuation for the American staff inside the American embassy," he said. A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the American Embassy in Baghdad was not being evacuated, contrary to local reports. We expect that should the pro-US government fall, this will promptly change.
Security forces responsible for guarding the entrance to the area were not able to stop the demonstrators without opening fire so they let them in, the security source told NBC News. As a result, the protest is mostly peaceful for now.
Today, the regime is in chaos and the system set up in Iraq by the US is collapsing when protesters loyal to popular Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr breached the heavily fortified Green Zone, home to government buildings and foreign embassies, and stormed the Iraqi parliament, forcing MPs to flee and resulting in a state of emergency being declared for all of Baghdad.
As can be seen in the above photo (and live webcast), hundreds of demonstrators occupied the country's parliament. Video from inside the building showed jubilant crowds waving Iraqi flags and shouting "peaceful, peaceful." Supporters of Sadr, whose fighters once controlled swaths of Baghdad and helped defend the capital from ISIS, have been demonstrating for weeks at the gates of the Green Zone, responding to their leader's call to pressure the government to reform.
Cited by NBC, Brig. Gen. Saad Mann, a spokesman for the Iraqi military, said that Iraq security authorities have declared a state of emergency in Baghdad. "All gates that lead to Baghdad are closed. No one is allowed to enter into Baghdad, only those who want to leave Baghdad can do so." "There is no evacuation for the American staff inside the American embassy," he said. A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the American Embassy in Baghdad was not being evacuated, contrary to local reports. We expect that should the pro-US government fall, this will promptly change.
Security forces responsible for guarding the entrance to the area were not able to stop the demonstrators without opening fire so they let them in, the security source told NBC News. As a result, the protest is mostly peaceful for now.
Anti-corruption protesters storm Iraqi
paraliament in Baghdad
(SPECIAL COVERAGE)
Anti-corruption protesters storm Baghdad’s Green Zone, enter parliament
Hundreds
of supporters of influential Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who
have been protesting against corruption, have stormed Baghdad’s
Green Zone. The crowds entered the parliamentary building.
A
state of emergency has been declared in the Iraqi capital.
To
prevent more protesters entering the Green Zone, Iraqi security
forces have fired tear gas and shot bullets into the air, Reuters
reported citing its sources in the police, as well as al-Sadr's
office. Around a dozen people were injured.
To
keep protesters from crossing a bridge near the US embassy, SWAT
troops and presidential guard forces have been deployed, according to
Reuters.
A
special forces unit with armored vehicles from the Iraqi army has
been dispatched to protect sensitive sites in the area, while
security personnel have joined forces with al-Sadr's militiamen to
control the protesters' movements, the news ageny reported.
Earlier
in the day, all entrances to Baghdad were shut "as a
precautionary measure to maintain the capital's security,"
Reuters reported citing an unnamed security official.
The
demonstrators decided to break into a heavily fortified area, which
holds government buildings and numerous foreign embassies after
lawmakers failed to pass a vote on making changes to the current
Iraqi government.
Shouting
“the cowards ran away,” in reference to the MPs who were leaving
the parliament building, they managed to make their way into the
Green Zone and subsequently into the parliament building. The
demonstrators smashed glass and furniture, while another group set a
vehicle on fire.
Many
of them later left the parliamentary building and had reportedly
started preparing for a sit-in outside.
While
on their way to the parliamentary building, angry protesters damaged
several vehicles, which they believed belonged to lawmakers, AFP
reported.
The
UN mission for Iraq has released a statement saying it is "gravely
concerned by today's developments in Baghdad." The Mission urged
"calm, restraint and respect for Iraq's constitutional
institutions," calling the situation in the country a "crucial
juncture."
Rudaw English
Protesters wave flags inside #Parliament building as demands for reform and end of corruption grow.
A
spokesman for the United Nations and four Western diplomats who were
inside the Green Zone said their compounds were in lockdown. They
denied reports that staff at the missions had been evacuated.
No
curfew has been imposed, according to two security officials who
spoke to Reuters.
A
Kurdish MP is currently trapped inside the parliament building, the
Rudaw news network reported.
Iraqi parliament is taken over by by Sadr followers
A
guard at one of the checkpoints said the demonstrators had not been
searched before entering the area, Reuters reports. The breach will
come as an embarrassment to the Iraqi government: the protesters were
able to get through what should have been a heavily secured area.
The
protesters were waving Iraqi flags and were chanting “peaceful,
peaceful,” while others were standing on the outer wall of the
Green Zone. There were thousands more demonstrators waiting outside
the gates of the fortified area.
Some
protesters also headed in the direction of the PM's office building,
the Rudaw news agency reported.
NOW: protesters are around the building of prime ministry in Baghdad
Iraqi
President Fuad Masum has called on the protesters to "calm
down," Rudaw reported.
Some
of the protesters subsequently left the parliament building having
been instructed to do so by al-Sadr. Meanwhile, al-Sadr himself said
that he could “destroy” Iraq’s government.
Protesters are leaving the parliament on Muqtada al-Sadr request
“I
am promising you that I will not make any agreements with other
politicians. I work for the benefit of the nation,” Sadr said in a
speech in the holy city of Najaf, as cited by Rudaw.
“If
the nation lets me I can end the current government and form a new
one without any corruption,” he added.
There
are reports on social media that some of the protesters are heading
towards Baghdad Airport in order to try and prevent the MPs from
leaving the capital.
The
Russian Embassy in Baghdad continues to work as normal, a member of
the diplomatic mission told RIA.
“We
are keeping an eye on how events are developing, especially around
the parliament. However, the local press is reporting that the
protests are peaceful in nature,” said Aleksandr Kozin, the first
secretary of the Russian Embassy in Baghdad.
Joaquin
Flores from the Independent Journalists Association for Peace spoke
to RT and said that Abadi finds himself in a difficult position in
trying to appease different groups, who have a diverse range of
goals.
“He
is between a rock and a hard place. Any concessions he makes will
show signs of weakness. On the other hand, continuing the line that
he is on will ultimately undermine his authority,” he said.
Abadi
was expected to announce five new members on Saturday, but the
session was eventually postponed, which was the catalyst for the
subsequent violence.
The
influential cleric believes “all the ministers should be changed”
and he would like to see “a revolution against corruption.”
Despite
his tough line against the government, al-Sadr had implored his
followers not to resort to violence. The cleric also praised the
police for “their cooperation and devotion to their people.”
For
the western media version of events -
Hundreds
storm green zone chanting ‘the cowards ran way’ after MPs fail to
convene for vote on ministerial changes
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