Calm before the storm at Baghdad protest camp
Sitting in the shade near the protest tents, Raad al-Haeri watched as convoys of armored SUVs ferried politicians and diplomats in and out of Baghdad’s Green Zone. The 27-year-old scrapes together around $400 a month working odd jobs and has the spare time to join the thousands of supporters of preacher Moqtada al-Sadr in their […]Jean Marc Mojon writes for AFP:
Sitting in the shade near the protest tents, Raad al-Haeri watched as convoys of armored SUVs ferried politicians and diplomats in and out of Baghdad’s Green Zone. The 27-year-old scrapes together around $400 a month working odd jobs and has the spare time to join the thousands of supporters of preacher Moqtada al-Sadr in their protest against corruption.
“When you see those MPs driving their huge armored cars getting salaries of $12,000 or whatever it is, you don’t feel good. These people are stealing Iraq’s money,” he said.
A few steps away, behind coils of razor wire and rows of anti-riot police, VIP traffic through one of the main gates of the Green Zone continued as usual.
Sadr’s followers set up protest camps Friday at several entrances to the restricted zone, which houses premier Haider al-Abadi’s office, parliament and foreign embassies, including the huge U.S. mission.
