Massive Protests in Baghdad and Iraq

[grok]

Iraqis turn out for peaceful anti-terror demos

CTV.ca News Staff

Thousands of Iraqis took to the streets Wednesday in boisterous, but peaceful rallies calling for the end of terrorism and the return of order to the war-torn country.

"It was all in the name of anti-terror, but really it felt a lot more like some kind of all-party political rally because there are dozens and dozens of parties here clamoring for power," CTV's Lisa LaFlamme reported from Baghdad.

Carrying banners denouncing violence, and calling for Iraqi unity, demonstrators wound their way through the Iraqi capital before ending up at the so-called Freedom Square in the city centre. The same place the famous images of Saddam Hussein's statue being toppled originated.

As protesters in the square chanted, "Yes to Iraq, no to terrorism," former Iraqi opposition figure Tawfeeq al-Yassiri addressed the crowd.

"The demonstration is a real referendum by all the Iraqi spectrum, in all its communities, nationalities, who came today to say no to terrorism, yes to peace, yes to security, yes to democracy, yes to freedom, yes to building," he said in Arabic.

LaFlamme told CTV Newsnet the protest was a remarkable and rare expression of public sentiment.

"There were speeches and then everybody made their way home. It was very impressive and it was the first massive show of anti-terror support," she said.

"These people for decades have never had a demonstration unless Saddam himself organized it."

But the protest, kept in check by U.S. military and Iraqi police, was far from pro-American.

"There was a lot of anti-Americanism in that crowd," LaFlamme said, noting that none of that anger turned into violence.

"For sure you have to look at it as a small step towards progress ... that that many thousands of people could gather on such a key street in Baghdad with no problems."

Baghdad wasn't the only place where protesters rallied Wednesday.
Demonstrators in the northern town of Baqouba -- a frequent scene of terror attacks -- also marched through the centre of town to denounce terrorism.

And in the restive western Iraq town of Ramadi -- in the heart of an area dominated by formerly pro-Hussein Sunni Muslims -- protesters staged their own anti-terror march.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1071085630819_66494830/?hub=TopStories


Grok

[AWD]

You have to edit your post

Cut it to 4 paragraphs, please...DU rules.

[grok]

3. My apologies

Actually, it was one big fat one when I pasted it over. I added spacing to make it more readable. I won't separate it next time.

Grok

[alittlelark]

1. But that we could learn from them....

However we are so sated by our 'reality shows', Wal Mart goods and internet porn that we are basicly incapable of organising - except in extreme situations such as those before the Iraq war. Was Moore right? Are we all really a bunch of terified little souls. God, I hope not.

[tinnypriv]

2. Riiight

So rallies become "massive" if they're under 50k and in Iraq, but they're tiny and unrepresentative if they're 1 million+ and in London and New York?

Makes sense.

Stupid media fucks.

[grok]

4. Blame me.

I shouldn't have said massive, It wasn't the Canadian news.

But if for *them* it probably was pretty huge. considering how dangerous it is when people with bombs are just itching to blow somebody up over there. There could have been a massacre.

We don't have the problem. Yet.

Tree

[Moderator]

5. Locking....please edit to 3-4 paragraphs

DU copyright rules.
Thanks!

DU Moderator

[Moderator]

6. ALso, the title of the article must be the subject line

of the thread....

Thanks for your cooperation.
DU Moderator