Iraqi Prime Minister Haideral-Abadi on Sunday ordered that protesters who attacked parliamentarians and security forces and damaged property as they stormed the parliament building on Saturday be brought to justice.A crack down by Iraqi Security Forces?
The embattled premier called on Iraq’s ministry of interior to “chase” the troublemakers a day after they penetrated the capital’s heavily fortified Green Zone demanding reform, sending Iraqi politicians fleeing.
Hundreds of demonstrators, many of whom are the followers of Iraq’s powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, were still camped out in the Green Zone on Sunday. They had moved their demonstration to a parade ground next to the capital’s Hands of Victory monument, an arch of crossed swords constructed to commemorate the Iran-Iraq war.
Abadi’s office released pictures of him touring the ransacked parliament building on Saturday night, showing smashed windows and overturned furniture.
The turmoil has cast doubt over his ability to steer Iraq out of its political crisis, which has been simmering since street protests against corruption and government waste began last summer. Sadr is demanding an end to the quota system brought in in the wake of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, that sees political positions divided up based on sect and ethnicity. He has called for a technocratic government, but Abadi’s attempts to reshuffle his cabinet have been hampered by bickering in a divided parliament.
This is shaping up as a classic revolution cycle. What will be telling is if the protesters pack up and go home once the police start cracking heads. If they do then the govt might have a chance. If they don't....If the protesters think that they're going too far then this thing could spiral faster than we can respond.
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