Dozens of Iraqis demonstrated today near one of the gates of the Green Zone, which includes the Saudi embassy building in the center of the capital, Baghdad, in protest against a satirical drawing that they considered offensive to the Shiite authority, Ali Sistani, published by the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday.
Al-Jazeera correspondent reported that the demonstrators tried to approach one of the gates of the Green Zone, and the security forces confronted them, using tear gas to disperse them.
"Seven protesters were slightly injured by the stampede and security forces opened water cannons," Amjad al-Husseini, one of the protest's organizers, told Anadolu, stressing that Sistani was a red line for the Iraqis and could not be tolerated in any way.
Videos showed slogans in support of Sistani, in front of the Saudi embassy in the capital, Baghdad.
Hurry to break into the green and try to move towards the Saudi embassy in Baghdad pic.twitter.com/kHRgwBNtel
- Steven Nabil (@thestevennabil) July 5, 2020
For his part, a Baghdad police captain said that the protesters tried to storm the Green Zone, but that the security forces dispersed them.
He added, "We have instructions to prevent protesters from reaching the Green Zone and to protect diplomatic missions."
Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper published two days ago a satirical drawing showing a Shiite cleric trying to separate two connected trailers, one of which wrote Sovereignty and the other Iraq.
On Friday, the newspaper issued a statement denying any offense to Sistani, saying that it abides by the professional rules in its dealings with countries, people and references, and confirms that the drawing was not intended at all to refer to his person.
She added that the caricature was intended to indicate Iranian interference in Iraqi affairs.
And Iraqi political parties condemned the drawing, calling on the government to take firm measures to stop what it considered to be violations of religious symbols in the country.
Sistani is widely respected in Iraq, especially among Iraqis in the center and south of the country. Over the past years, his views have had impacts on political and social life.