Iraqis Renew Protests following Report on Government’s Previous Response

Iraqi security personnel in Baghdad used tear gas and truncheons on Friday to repel demonstrators heading toward government buildings in the latest outbreak of protests against living conditions and corruption. Several people were treated for the inhalation of teargas, and one unconfirmed report mentioned a death. Many of the protesters, estimated to number in the thousands, are said to have camped out the night before in the city’s Tahrir Square. The protests follow a lull in unrest that broke out on October 1, leading to an estimated 150 deaths. On Wednesday, a government panel released a report saying that security personnel had used excessive force in quelling those protests, with their efforts apparently including the use of snipers.