What is the truth about Al-Sadr’s goals? .. a demonstration in the thousands of Sadrists against the American presence in Iraq

Ali Al-Rasouli - Baghdad

In the name of the second "Revolution of the Twenty" in Iraq, the demonstration called by the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, against the American military presence in the country, ended with the participation of thousands of his followers and supporters of other armed factions who flocked from southern provinces to the Karrada and Jadriya areas in the center of the capital, Baghdad.

After this demonstration, Al-Sadr called for the abolition of all security agreements between Iraq and the United States due to the absence of balance in it and its recognition of the occupation of the country, he said, calling at the same time to close the Iraqi airspace to US military operations.

In turn, he thanked the Secretary General of the "Asaib Ahl al-Haq" faction, Qais al-Khazali, the leader of the Sadrist movement and the participants in the demonstration against the American presence, while vowing to remove these forces from Iraq despite President Donald Trump's nose.

Logos
Politicians and faction leaders participated in the demonstration, which was organized under the protection of the Iraqi forces, the crowd's security personnel and the militias affiliated with the factions. Hundreds of participants were seen wearing white shrouds, as well as slogans rejecting the American presence in Iraq.

The demonstrators carried phrases condemning the killing of the Americans, the commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Qassem Soleimani, and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Committee, as well as several songs calling for the evacuation of foreign forces from Iraq, by raising banners in both Arabic and English, and a sketch of Trump, on hang rope.

Although there is no accurate statistics on the numbers that participated in the demonstration, its organizers say it was in the thousands.

Character of sight
Observers believe that the departure of supporters of the Sadrist leader in what they called the second revolution of the twenty is a clear response to Iranian demands to deflect attention from the continuous protests in Baghdad and other southern cities against the authority based on sectarian quotas in the country 17 years ago, indicating that Sadr's attempts to ride the wave are exposed.

In this context, an informed political source revealed the agreements concluded between Iranian leaders commissioned by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei with Sadr to be the leader of the resistance axis in Iraq, in an attempt to win over his large audience and supporters in the Iraqi street.

The source explained in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net that "this agreement came for the sake of passing Iran's interests with Iraq, foremost among which is ending the American presence in the country."

However, this matter did not prevent his followers from trying to win the support of the Tahrir Square demonstrators, as Sadr demanded to fight corruption and confront the corrupt, and adopted a number of their legitimate demands, most notably the reform of the political system.

Liberation Square
As for the position of the Tahrir Square demonstrators, from the factions' demonstration, it came in the form of a large banner hung on the wall of a restaurant, and included that the square for every patriot is free from the restrictions of parties and employment, and it is for all Iraqis.

The demonstrators agreed that there is no state sovereignty over Iraq whatsoever, and no state authority over its political, economic and security decision, whatever it is, and that Iraq is a master of itself.

Activist Mohamed Jaber confirmed in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net that "the right to demonstrate is guaranteed and the right to sit-in is guaranteed for everyone according to the Iraqi constitution and international human rights treaties, but in some cases the results of these demonstrations may be known and do not need evidence."

Jaber said that Washington and all parties know that there are several parties - primarily the Sadrist movement, resistance factions, and even citizens - that reject the American presence. Therefore, the aim of the Friday demonstration does not depart from being a new show of strength "that we do not need at the moment."

He pointed out that the Iraqis need to restore the house from the inside and find the honest ruler who invited the Shiite cleric Ali Sistani to choose him, and meet the demands of his people, after which everyone will go out to maintain the sovereignty that was violated by the follies of some political leaders, as he described.