Protests gain ground but foreshadow new sectarianism
Protests sparked by the arrest of Finance Minister Rafa al-Essawi's security staff have grown into anti-government demonstrations that risk reopening destructive Sunni-Shia tensions.
Iraqi Sunni Muslims wave Syrian opposition flags (back L) and both the previous (R) and current (front C) Iraqi national flags during an anti-government demonstration in Falluja, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, December 28, 2012. (THAIER AL-SUDANI/Reuters)
FALLUJAH - Protests in key minority provinces continue to gather support a week after the security guards of the Iraqiya party leader and Finance Minister Rafa al-Essawi were rounded up in a terrorism crackdown.
Tens of thousands of protesters rallied after Friday prayers in Fallujah, where Essawi ran a hospital during both U.S. military bombardments of the city, and elsewhere in Anbar province, as well as in Salahaddin and Ninewa provinces.
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