Hundreds of people in Baghdad have attempted to storm the city’s Green Zone, a heavily fortified area with a number of foreign embassies and the seat of Iraq’s government, Al Jazeera reports.
Nearly 1,000 protesters were dispersed by security forces early on Saturday, in reaction to reports of a Quran burning that took place a day earlier by a far-right group in front of the Iraqi embassy in Denmark.
“We have been seeing hundreds of angry protesters. They gathered here, coming from the capital, Baghdad, and other provinces as well, chanting against the desecration of the Holy Quran,” said Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from Baghdad.
“They are telling us that they’re here today raising copies of the Holy Quran and the Iraq flag to express their rejection of the[ir] desecration three times in less than a month – twice in Sweden and once in Copenhagen.”
Demonstrators chanted in support of influential Iraqi Shia religious and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr, carrying images of the leader and flags associated with his movement, alongside the Iraqi flag.
“Yes, yes to the Quran!” shouted the protesters, many of them young men.
Security forces blocked the Jumhuriya bridge leading to the Green Zone, which prevented the protesters from reaching the Danish embassy.
Another protest is planned for later in the day.
“This place is not far from the fence of the Green Zone. Remember, last night they tried to storm the Green Zone to reach the Danish embassy…these protesters have also been calling on the international community to draft laws to prevent the aggression, the desecration of holy books,” Abdelwahed said.
