ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Anti-government protesters in the southern Iraqi city of Basra can borrow books, eat meals, and enjoy free cups of tea and coffee in their very own library. The pop-up, which narrowly survived an arson attack last week, was donated by as Basra resident to “spread cultural, political and social awareness”.
Young protesters have been occupying public spaces across Iraq’s southern and central provinces since October. Initially demanding jobs, public services, and action against corruption, a violent state crackdown has led to calls for the overthrow of the post-2003 political order.
Security forces and pro-Iran paramilitias have used live ammunition and military grade tear gas to disperse protest camps, killing more than 600 and injuring thousands.
Unknown gunmen have also sought to intimidate activists and journalists with a wave of kidnappings and assassinations. Last week, armed gangs attacks protest camps in Basra and other cities, setting fire to several tents.
The library tent in Basra was among those targeted. More than a thousand books were destroyed. Just 500 books survived.
“The objective of establishing a library inside the protest area is to spread cultural, political and social awareness among the people of Basra, particularly protesters,” Akram Mansour, the library’s owner, told Rudaw.
The library tent is especially popular with students, many of whom have written the name of their college on the side of the tent.
There are roughly 3,000 Basra students taking part in the protest. Around 50 have been killed over the last four months.
Baha Mawali, a student of the University of Basra, told Rudaw their initial demands were for the provision of basic services. Now they want to topple the establishment “after realizing that the government is not willing to respond to our demands”.
Another student, Ahmed Othman, said: “The last people the corrupt [parties] want to attack are students. What makes us continue [protesting] is the purity and civilian side of the students’ protests who do not cause destruction.”
The protests led to the resignation of Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi in December, but political parties, protesters, and President Barham Salih have failed to agree on a candidate to replace him.
The constitutional deadline for the nomination of a candidate has already expired. Salih said on Wednesday that the political parties have until Saturday to agree on a candidate. It is unclear whether the President can assign his own candidate to form a new cabinet if political parties failed to do so.
Iraq’s highest Shiite religious authority Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for snap elections during his Friday sermon.
“The continuation of the current crisis, political, economic and security instability is not in the interest of the country or the future of its children, so there has to [be] preparation to get out of it by speeding up the formation of a new government,” Sistani said in a statement read by his representative Sheikh Abdulmahdi al-Karbalai in a Friday sermon.
With additional reporting by Hiwa Husamaddin
