Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Sunday ordered the arrest of hundreds of supporters of Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr who stormed Iraq’s parliament Saturday evening and camped out, demanding reforms in the political quota system that was introduced after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. A United Nations spokesman and western diplomats said their compounds inside the Green Zone were locked down, according to Reuters, which also said some of the demonstrators set up tents at a nearby parade ground.
The Green Zone houses the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq and many embassies, including the U.S. Embassy. “I was thrilled to be in that room. It was like being in a place you only see on television,” a 26-year-old protester, Abdullah al-Zaidi, told The Washington Post of the storming of parliament. “When I entered I was looking at chairs, and I wanted to break them because the politicians are killing us and stealing from us from these chairs.” FULL REPORT
