Iraqis revel in people power

After a month of defying official curfews and road closures to protest, Iraqis have flipped the rule book.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — “I’m sorry, I can’t let you through without orders,” said the Iraqi civilian manning the makeshift checkpoint, smirking at the befuddled policeman he had waved down in the capital Baghdad.

After a month of defying official curfews and road closures to protest, Iraqis have flipped the rule book.

One recent evening, police officers erected a row of concrete t-walls on the same street, sealing off access to Tahrir Square, ground zero for protests in the capital.

Demonstrators — one riding a motorized red rickshaw known as a tuk-tuk — sprung into action, chasing down the police.

The tuk-tuk came to a screeching halt in front of the truck, blocking its exit as young Iraqi men pressured officers to reopen the road to Tahrir.

Improbably, the officers relented, and the enormous truck reversed up the road to lift the barriers as the victorious tuk-tuk followed.

Protesters swiftly hung a sign nearby: “Re-opened by order of the people!”

Demonstrations broke out on October 1 in outrage over rampant corruption and unemployment. They were met with a violent crackdown that left dozens dead.

Since resuming later last month, the protests have shifted to campaigns of non-violent resistance.

Across the country’s south, Iraqis are carrying out sit-ins at schools, on highways and main bridges and near government buildings.

“No country? No class!” is the new slogan for thousands of Iraqi university students and school children refusing to go back to class until they see sweeping reforms.

The teachers’ syndicate has extended its strike, despite threats from officials that protesting students or staff would face legal consequences.

Most official administrations have been shut in large cities, with large banners also proclaiming the newfound authority: “Closed by order of the people!”

In Diwaniyah, 200 kilometers (130 miles) south of Baghdad, the government’s provincial headquarters has literally become a dump.