Iraqis in Baghdad Chant ‘Death to US’, Voice Support to Religious Authority in Mass Rally

The demonstrators marched to Baghdad’s iconic Tahrir Square on Thursday, demanding that non-peaceful protesters be sidelined during the ongoing protests against the economic woes, Press TV reported.

They were chanting slogans and waving placards reading, “Death to USA” and “Religious Authority Our Security”.

In a Friday prayers sermon read by his representative, Iraq’s most prominent Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged protesters not to allow attacks on people and their property.

“It is imperative on peaceful demonstrators that they separate their ranks from non-peaceful individuals and cooperate on shunning saboteurs — whoever they are — and not allow them to abuse peaceful protests to damage and attack the property of citizens,” he said.