Iraqi security forces have been killed one protester and wounded 200 others in the country's capital Baghdad and other cities - police officials
Anti-government protesters take control of the first barriers set by Iraqi security forces to close the Joumhouriya bridge leading to the Green Zone during ongoing protests in Baghdad, Iraq on November 2, 2019.
Tens of thousands of Iraqis have been protesting, mostly in Baghdad and southern regions, since last month, demanding sweeping change to the political system established after the 2003 US-led invasion, which they blame for widespread corruption, high unemployment and poor public services. Operations at the port have been at a complete standstill since Wednesday after protesters first blocked its entrance on Tuesday.In Baghdad, security forces fired tear gas at protesters who tried to cross to bridges over the Tigris River leading to the heavily fortified Green Zone that is home to the Iraqi government and several other embassies, including the US mission.
On nearby Abu Nawas Street on the Tigris, protesters prevented authorities from closing it with a blast wall by confiscating the crane that was to be used to place the giant cement blocks. Protests, in which 250 people have been killed over the past month, have accelerated dramatically in recent days, drawing huge crowds from across Iraq's sectarian and ethnic divides to reject the political parties in power since 2003.
"No one person or group or side with an agenda, or any regional or international party, can infringe upon the will of Iraqis or force an opinion upon them," Sistani's representative said during a sermon in the holy city of Karbala.
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