[Hot Air] Iraq is suddenly looking a bit like Hong Kong. But in Baghdad police were quick to open fire on protesters with live ammunition as the government shut down the internet to stop the flow of information:
Anti-government demonstrators defied an around-the-clock curfew in Baghdad and other cities Thursday as Iraqi security forces used live ammunition and tear gas during a third day of unrest that has left 33 people dead, most of them protesters.
Authorities cut internet access in much of Iraq since late Wednesday in a desperate move to curb the rallies. By Thursday afternoon, the curfew was extended to three other southern provinces...
Middle East expert Jennifer Cafarella, with the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, said the immediate and widespread use of force against protesters in multiple provinces demonstrates "that the security forces are overwhelmed by the volume and rate of spread" of the rallies.
The protests began Tuesday and appear to spread very quickly. The source of the protester’s anger is economic more than political, though protesters are calling for the ouster of the current government:
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