Iraqi security forces used tear gas and water cannons to disperse “Sadr Movement” demonstrators at the entrance to the Green Zone, resulting in a number of casualties. It was reported that “the demonstrators entered the green zone near the building of the Iraqi parliament.”

This and the demonstrators are trying to storm the fortified area in Baghdad three days after entering the parliament building, while the political crisis in the country is getting worse. Ten months after the October 2021 early legislative elections, Iraq is experiencing total political paralysis as the country still lacks a new president and a new government.

In the midst of this political stalemate, the influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is waging a pressure campaign against his political opponents by dropping the name of their candidate for prime minister. Most of the demonstrators raised Iraqi flags, while others carried photographs of Muqtada al-Sadr while chanting slogans in his support. They gathered on at least one bridge leading to the Green Zone, which includes government offices and foreign embassies, and it was reinforced with concrete barriers.