World: Iraq’s “Day of Rage”: Economic strife leads to massive protests
- Now it’s Iraq’s turn to be angry. Today’s “Day of Rage” in the nation perhaps most changed by American intervention comes with great sacrifice for many of the protesters. Already, 13 have been killed during the protests, which many people took part in despite an official curfew. In Baghdad alone, many protesters had to walk for miles to get to the city’s Tahrir Square, after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki imposed a curfew so stringent that it forced bikes off the road. Yeah. Bikes. Let alone cars. Bikes. The protests have had some effect – a handful of local governments have stepped down in the wake of protester demands. Many of the protesters are upset about bad living conditions, including few jobs, low wages, no electricity, lacking water quality, and underwhelming medical benefits. All things that, honestly, we can get behind. (Photo by Karim Kadim/AP) source
