Unholy massacre of protesters in Iraq’s Karbala - Analysis

The protests are the second round this month after earlier demonstrations in the first days of October resulted in 150 people being shot.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
Demonstrators disperse as Iraqi Security forces use tear gas during a protest against government corruption amid dissatisfaction at lack of jobs and services at Tahrir square in Baghdad, Iraq October 1, 2019 (photo credit: REUTERS/THAIER AL-SUDANI)
Demonstrators disperse as Iraqi Security forces use tear gas during a protest against government corruption amid dissatisfaction at lack of jobs and services at Tahrir square in Baghdad, Iraq October 1, 2019
(photo credit: REUTERS/THAIER AL-SUDANI)
Protesters were gunned down in the holy city of Karbala overnight as Iraq’s government struggled to contain rising protests that erupted on October 25.
They are the second round of protests this month, after earlier demonstrations in the first days of October resulted in 150 people being shot by Iraqi security forces and snipers from pro-Iranian paramilitaries.
The protests that began again this week are directed against corruption and stagnation in the country. Many of the young men who have gone out into the streets have targeted political party offices, especially those of groups linked to Iran.
This has included the offices of the Popular Mobilization Units, or Hashd al-Shaabi. These are militias that also have political wings and have been part of the security forces since 2018. They were supposed to defend Iraq against ISIS, but have now come home, controlling parts of Iraq’s economy and infiltrating local councils.
The offices of Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) were targeted in one city and a leading member of the party, Wisam al-Alawi was killed in Maysan during riots.
The AAH targeted protesters were gunfire and snipers. This has been a common practice since the beginning of the month. The way it works is that the government officials say protests are acceptable as long as they are peaceful. The prime minister and president have indicated that peaceful protest is part of Iraqi democracy. However, the militias are then sent in, even though they are also officially part of the government’s security forces, to attack and shoot protesters. Meanwhile, the police and army stand by and do not intervene.
The protesters, angered by being shot by the militias, then target the offices of the militias. Then the government uses this as an excuse to call for night-time curfews and shut down Internet or media stations that broadcast the protests.
This week the pro-Iranian parties – including the Badr organization’s Hadi al-Amiri, Kataib Hezbollah’s Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and  Qais Khazali of AAH – have all blamed the US and Israel for the protests. They claim that outsiders, including Saudi Arabia, are spreading “fitna,” a term for sedition or strife.
On the night of October 28, people took to the streets again. This came after the government had cracked down on high school children who went on strike.
Millions reportedly turned out for protests across the country, including in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square. In Karbala, a Shi’ite holy city, there have been tensions since the offices of Iran’s consulate were sacked on October 26 and the Iraqi flag raised in place of Iran’s. Revenge came swiftly overnight as men with masks and guns shot down the protesters.
The government, seeking to hide the massacre, claimed there were no casualties. But it is known that more than 60 people have been killed in recent days, and in Karbala the death toll is estimated at more than a dozen. While low estimates say 14 were killed, others believe the number could be as much as a hundred.
Videos from hospitals showed numerous bodies. Iraqis are pointing out that Saddam Hussein was convicted of killing 142 people in Dujail in 1982, one of many massacres under his regime. But the current deaths in recent protests likely surpass 200, with thousands injured.
Police have fired tear gas canisters at the heads of dozens of people, leaving horrid injuries and graphic footage of men wandering to their deaths with smoke rising from their heads. The question is how a democracy like Iraq, supported by Western governments and the anti-ISIS coalition, can continue acting like this.
Protesters had wanted these events to remain unpolitical, but Muqtada al-Sadr, leader of the largest party, has said that his Saraya al-Salam militia will protect the people. So far, that protection has not been forthcoming. Many are concerned that the violence could lead to civil conflict, and they fear that pro-Iranian units will use every brutality to keep the people down.