The strikes in the province of Basra were renewed on Saturday, to protest against the deterioration of services and the development of the water crisis in the province, while the security forces dispersed the protesters by fire and tear gas, in a tense atmosphere of security.
Media sources said that dozens of protesters resumed their strike in “Abdul Karim Qasim”, central Basra, after they have been dispersed by the security forces on Friday, raising banners and slogans calling for the improvement of services and the settlement of the water crisis in the province.
The protesters set up their tents again, amid tight security measures and encirclement by the security forces, which tried to prevent their strike and did not succeed facing the protestors’ resistance. Consequently, the security forces started attacking them on them using repression measures, such as using batons and tear gas to disperse them.
For his part, a member of the protests’ coordination in Basra said in media statements that the security forces are ordered to prevent the strikes and protests in various ways, which led to the dispersion of the strike by force, noting that "these actions are a violation to the people, peaceful expression and protest, and it must be stopped."
These violations caused security chaos in the province, while security forces deployed in a number of areas, and near the local government buildings, to protect them in case of their storming by the protestors.
The province of Basra had witnessed two days ago popular protests in more than one area, during which the protestors tried to storm the building of the province, in addition to the burning of tires and the cut of a number of roads, before the intervention of the Iraqi forces that fired tear gas, and bullets in the air to disperse the protests that continued until the morning.
On the other hand, the Iraqi police said that about 150 protesters gathered at the main entrance to the “Ben Omar" oil field in Basra on Sunday, amid the rising tension in the southern cities due to the poor public services and corruption.
Media sources confirmed that the tribes’ elders called for the cutt off all land access points for the province of Basra, especially the “Shalamjah” border crossing with Iran as a protest measure. Moreover, they called for launching strikes and protests in the roads leading to the oil fields.
#Basra #protests #security_forces #gas_bombs
العربية 
English