Demonstrators rally in support of Iraqi government

Demonstrators held up posters of the prime minister in Mosul – situated some 400 kilometers (250 miles) northwest of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad – on Sunday and chanted slogans in support of Maliki’s policies and his attempts to maintain national unity, Aswat al-Iraq news agency reported.

Senior members of the ruling Islamic Dawa Party, also known as the Islamic Call Party, attended the pro-government rally.

One of the organizers, Sheikh Ali al-Abdullah, said the demonstrators “do not want the repeal of anti-terrorism laws enacted by the government.”

He added that they instead demand “the dissolution of the parliament for its failure to address miseries of the Iraqi people.”

Activists hailed what they called the government’s anti-sectarian policies and a law that forbids former Ba’ath party members from taking office, saying the policies uproot Saddam Hussein’s legacy.

On Saturday, Iraqis staged a mass pro-government rally in Baghdad to throw their weight behind Maliki. Demonstrators gathered in Baghdad’s Tahrir (Liberation) Square, chanting slogans in support of the Iraqi premier.

Iraq has been the scene of anti-government demonstrations since December 23, 2012, when the bodyguards of Finance Minister Rafie al-Issawi were arrested on terrorism-related charges.

Demonstrators allege that the arrests were made on sectarian grounds and demand an end to anti-terrorism laws. But the government says it is up to the parliament to decide on abolishing those laws.

On January 2, Maliki said Baghdad would use force to end the protests in Anbar Province, where protesters have blocked off a highway linking Iraq to Syria and Jordan. The Iraqi government says there are foreign agendas behind the protests.