Supporters of cleric Sadr storm Baghdad\u2019s fortified zone for second time in a week, leaving at least 125 injured
\n BAGHDAD
\nThousands of supporters of Shia populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr stormed Baghdad\u2019s fortified government zone and broke into parliament on Saturday for the second time in a week, leaving at least 125 people injured and escalating a political stand-off.
\nProtesters rallied by Sadr and his Sadrist Movement tore down concrete barriers and entered the Green Zone, which houses government departments and foreign missions, before breaking into parliament.
\n\u201cWe are calling for a government free from corruption … and those are the demands of the people,\u201d one protester, Abu Foad, said among crowds of protesters carrying placards with Sadr\u2019s photograph and national flags.
\nThe scenes followed similar protests on Wednesday, although this time at least 125 people\u2013including demonstrators and police\u2013were wounded, according to a health ministry statement.
\nSadr\u2019s supporters threw stones and police fired teargas and stun grenades.
\n\u201cWe Iraqis have endured injustices because of those corrupt people,\u201d said another protester Alaa Hussain, 49.
\n\u201cI have two unemployed children who graduated from university and I am unemployed. There are no jobs and that is all because of corruption.\u201d
\nSadr\u2019s party came first in an October election but he withdrew his 74 lawmakers from parliament after failing to form a government which excluded his Shia rivals, most of whom who are backed by Iran and have heavily-armed paramilitary wings.
\nUN frets
\nHis withdrawal ceded dozens of seats to the Coalition Framework, an alliance of Shia parties backed by Iran.
\nSadr has since made good on threats to stir up popular unrest if parliament tries to approve a government he does not like, saying it must be free of foreign influence.
\nSadr\u2019s supporters chanted against his rivals who are now trying to form a government. Many protested in front of the country\u2019s Supreme Court, which Sadr has accused of meddling to prevent him forming a government.
\nIn response, the Coalition Framework called on Iraqis to protest peacefully \u201cin defence of the state, its legitimacy and its institutions,\u201d a statement read later on Saturday, raising fears of clashes.
\nThe United Nations called for a de-escalation. \u201cVoices of reason and wisdom are critical to prevent further violence,\u201d said its mission in Iraq.
\nPrime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi also urged political groups not to escalate unrest. \u201cLet this not devolve into clashes, and keep Iraq secure,\u201d he said in a televised address.
\nSpeaker of Parliament Mohammed al-Halbousi suspended all parliamentary session until further notice, the state news agency reported.
\nIraq has been without a president and prime minister for about 10 months because of the deadlock.
\nSadr, whom opponents also accuse of corruption, maintains large state power himself because his movement remains involved in running the country. His loyalists have long run some of the allegedly most corrupt and dysfunctional government departments.
\nIraqis linked neither to Sadr nor to his opponents say they are caught in the middle of the political gridlock.
\nWhile Baghdad earns record income from its vast oil wealth, the country has no budget, frequent power and water cuts, poor education and healthcare, and insufficient job opportunities for the young.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Supporters of cleric Sadr storm Baghdad\u2019s fortified zone for second time in a week, leaving at least 125 injured BAGHDAD Thousands of supporters of Shia populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr stormed Baghdad\u2019s fortified government zone and broke into parliament on Saturday for the second time in a week, leaving at least 125 people injured and escalating […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":274659,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[4091,1771,6874],"class_list":{"0":"post-274645","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-iraq","9":"tag-parliament","10":"tag-protesters"},"yoast_head":"\n