Anti-government protesters accuse PM Nouri al-Maliki of sectarianism Thousands of Iraqis took part in pro and anti-government protests across the country on Friday, in what observers described as the most dangerous crisis to engulf Iraq since the fall of former President Saddam Hussein.Anti-government protesters in Baghdad's mostly-Sunni districts of Adhamiyah and Ghazaliyah accused Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of authoritarianism and sectarianism ahead of key provincial polls.
Counter-demonstrations were held in predominantly Shi'ite areas of southern Iraq, calling for authorities to resist demands to reform anti-terror laws or consider a wide-ranging prisoner release, both key demands in majority-Sunni areas.
Anti-government rallies were also held in the cities of Ramadi, Samarra, Mosul and Tikrit, along with several smaller towns north of Baghdad.
In Ghazaliyah, hundreds of protesters held a rally after Friday prayers outside the Umm al-Qura mosque, waving banners calling for anti-terror laws to be repealed, along with the release of women prisoners, and improved human rights in jails. "These sounds (protester chants) are not from just one community," Ahmed Abdulghafur al-Samarraie, head of the foundation that manages Sunni mosques across Iraq, said in a speech at the rally. "No, these are the sounds of Iraqis from all over Iraq, all shouting 'no to suffering, no to the absence of services, no to injustice, no to foreign agendas, no to conflict, no to the return of the Baath, Qaeda or militias, no to torturing until death.'"
Hundreds of protesters also gathered outside Adhamiyah's Abu Hanifa mosque, despite a heavy security presence and soldiers barring demonstrators from outside the district. "We do not seek any demands in our protests, we are just here for our rights," said a 62-year-old man called Abu Fares. "The government should provide a good quality of life for people," he added.
Protesters also blocked off the highway linking Iraq to Syria and Jordan for a 20th day in western Anbar province. In the northern city of Kirkuk, hundreds of protesters waved banners and raised flags, both Iraq's new flag, and that of former leader Saddam Hussein.
Political observers say Iraq is going through the most dangerous crisis, since the fall of the previous dictatorial regime in 2003.