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May 19, 2003
Iraqi protests smaller than clerics had hoped
From the AP via the Baltimore Sun:
Thousands of Shiite Muslims marched peacefully through the capital today to protest the American occupation of Iraq and reject what they feared would be a U.S.-installed puppet government.Small groups of U.S. infantrymen, including snipers on nearby rooftops, watched the rally but did not intervene. Several dozen Shiite organizers armed with AK-47 assault rifles patrolled the area. They, too, were left alone by the Americans.
Up to 10,000 people gathered in front of a Sunni Muslim mosque in Baghdad's northern district of Azimiyah, then marched across a bridge on the Tigris River to the nearby Kadhamiya quarter, home to one of the holiest Shiite shrines in Iraq.
This is the biggest protest so far. Definitely not the million marchers one cleric had predicted. Many news reports on Iraq feature exaggerated claims. Looks like that was one of them. The significant part, is that as time passes, support for these protests will grow. The same thing happened under Saddad. The only exception there is that when they grew too large, Saddam slaughtered them. I would hope we have no intention of doing the same, even if they turn from marching to other forms of civil disobedience.
Posted by Mike at May 19, 2003 09:50 AM
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