- The Media Line - https://themedialine.org -

Scores Dead in Iraq as Anti-government Protests Continue

Iraqi security forces and militia groups killed at least 67 demonstrators and wounded hundreds more on Friday and Saturday in protests against perceived government corruption, as well as unemployment and a lack of public services. The protests continued Sunday, with about a dozen schools and universities closing their doors so that students could join the demonstrations. Iraqi forces fired teargas and rubber bullets, and threw stun grenades at thousands of demonstrators trying to cross a bridge to Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, where embassies and government offices are located, and in the capital’s central Tahrir Square. Protesters also clashed with government forces over the weekend in the southern town of Nasiriyah. Since the initial protests broke out on October 1, at least 224 people have been killed.