Iraqi security forces deployed water cannons and tear gas in the center of Baghdad against hundreds of protesters. Hospital circles said that more than 180 people had been treated for injuries.
Eyewitnesses said the security forces also blew up at Tahrir Square in Baghdad to dissolve the protest. Images in the social media showed dense fog and smoke. Also shots were heard. According to Iraqi TV channel Al-Sharqiya, protests against corruption and political stalemate also occurred in other cities.
MURTAJA LATEEF / EPA-EFE / REX
Protesters carry a wounded man: more than 180 protests
In Iraq, there is a great deal of frustration among the population, partly because of the poor infrastructure and unemployment. So the country is one of the largest oil producers in the world, but suffers from an acute energy shortage. Many areas of the country are destroyed after the fight against the terrorist militia "Islamic State" (IS).
About a year ago, anger over thousands of illnesses due to polluted drinking water in the southern Iraqi city of Basra had provoked protests. Critics blame the situation for rampant corruption. Politicians accuse them of using their positions to enrich themselves and their followers.