Image copyright Reuters Image caption Hundreds of protesters stormed Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone on Saturday When thousands of Iraqis stormed the seat of power, known as the Green Zone, in Baghdad last Saturday it was a moment of powerful symbolism. The dramatic images of angry, determined protesters using ropes to pull down concrete walls surrounding the parliament building’s main gate were redolent of those of Iraqis dragging down the statue of former dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003 after the US-led invasion-turned-occupation. In 2016, the protesters were shouting the mantra “we will topple all of the politicians”. “From now on, no government, no parliament. We are the government,” cried a young man who stormed the main hall of the parliament building. The irony of the situation was not lost on the protesters. Image copyright EPA Image caption The protesters occupied the parliament building and “approved” a long-delayed cabinet reshuffle Hundreds of them decided to hold their own “parliamentary session” and “approved” the long-awaited new cabinet of non-partisan technocratic ministers. In so-doing, they were mocking the successive failure of MPs to reach the quorum needed to debate and approve the cabinet reshuffle. But the message they wanted to send by storming the Green Zone was that they had finally broken the high walls that separate the masses from the ruling elite. ‘Red Zone’ The heavily-fortified complex at the very heart of Baghdad is home to the cabinet, the ministry of defence, the Supreme Judicial Council and the parliament, as well as United…more detail
