Thousands of Iraqi protesters storm parliament in Baghdad, set up sit-in

Thousands of followers of an influential Shiite cleric breached Iraq’s parliament on Saturday, for the second time this week, protesting against government formation efforts lead by his rivals, an alliance of Iran-backed groups. The alliance called for counter-protests, raising the spectre of civil strife.

Iraqi security forces initially used tear gas and sound bombs to try to repel the demonstrators and caused several injuries. Once inside, the protesters declared an open-ended sit-in and claimed they would not disperse until their demands are answered.

As the numbers inside the parliament rose, the police backed off. An expected parliament session did not take place on Saturday and there were no politicians in the hall. By late afternoon, the Ministry of Health said that about 125 people had been injured in the violence – 100 protesters and 25 members of the security forces.

Earlier in the day and heeding the calls of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, the demonstrators used ropes and chains to pull down cement barricades leading to the gate of Iraq’s heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses government buildings and embassies.

Al-Sadr has resorted to using his large grass-roots following as a pressure tactic against his rivals, after his party was not able to form a government despite having won the largest number of seats in the federal elections held last October.

With neither side willing to concede, and al-Sadr intent on derailing government formation efforts lead by his rivals, Iraq’s limbo and political paralysis has ushered in a new era of instability in the beleaguered country.

Al-Sadr has used his followers as leverage against his rivals and has ordered them to occupy the parliament on previous occasions – in 2016, his followers did the same during the administration of Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi.