This archive report was first published on 28 October 2019.
On October 28, 2019, thousands of students in Iraq took to the streets to protest against government corruption, unemployment, and poor services. The protests, which began in the capital and spread to the country's south, were marked by clashes with security forces, resulting in over 70 deaths.
Despite warnings from the government, including a threat of 'severe punishment' from Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi's spokesman, students and professors continued to participate in the protests. The Diwaniyah union of universities and schools announced a ten-day strike, with thousands of students and even professors flooding the streets.
Young protesters gathered in the southern cities of Nasiriyah, Basra, and Kut, where most local government offices were shuttered as workers had not shown up. In Baghdad, demonstrators gathered on campuses and in Tahrir Square, where a student protester was quoted as saying, 'All we want is for the government to immediately submit its resignation. Either it resigns, or it gets ousted.'
A group of students even brought kits and cans of Pepsi to treat those affected by tear gas. One student, a girl with curly hair, told AFP, 'It's my first day at the protests. I told my mom I'm going to class, but I came here instead!'
