Hundreds of thousands of protesters turned out in cities across West Asia on Friday to protest the unaccountability of their leaders and express solidarity with the uprising in Libya that Muammar Qadhafi is trying to suppress with force.
In Iraq, demonstrations for better government services spiralled out of control in many places. Protesters burned buildings and security forces fired on crowds in Baghdad, Mosul, Ramadi and in Salahuddin Province, north of the capital, killing at least four people.
Large-scale demonstrations in Yemen appeared to proceed more peacefully, even festively. More than 100,000 people poured into the streets on Friday, after Yemen's embattled President pledged on Wednesday not to crack down on protesters.
In Egypt, tens of thousands of people returned to Tahrir Square in central Cairo to celebrate one full month since the start of the popular revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak.
In Bahrain, pro-democracy demonstrations on a scale that appeared to dwarf the largest ever seen in the tiny Persian Gulf nation blocked kilometres of downtown roads and highways in Manama, the capital, on Friday. The crowds overflowed from Pearl Square in the centre of the city for the second time in a week.
In a shift from Tuesday, when anti-government protesters brought more than 100,000 people to Pearl Square, on Friday it was the country's Shia religious leaders who called for people to take to the streets. That development could change the dynamic in Bahrain, where Shias are the majority but the rulers belong to the Sunni minority.
“We are winners, and victory comes from God,” protesters chanted in Manama.
The violence in Iraq came after demonstrators responded to a call for a “day of rage”, despite attempts by the government to keep people from taking to the streets. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki made a televised speech on Thursday urging Iraqis not to gather, and security officials in Baghdad banned all cars from the streets until further notice.
In Yemen, where protesters have faced sporadic violence from security forces and government supporters, roughly 100,000 people massed in the southern city of Taiz for demonstrations dubbed “Martyrs' Friday”, in honour of two protesters who died in a grenade attack last week.
In Cairo, tens of thousands of Egyptians flooded Tahrir Square as much to renew the spirit of Egypt's popular revolution, which resulted in Mr. Mubarak's resignation on February 11, as to press for new demands. The square felt like a carnival, filled with banners in Egypt's national colours of black, white and red.
But there were also signs of tension, as well as reminder that it was the military that remains in charge. Several hours into the demonstration, an army officer demanded protesters dismantle the tents they were erecting in the the square, touching off a series of angry arguments.
There were fervent political demands as well, foremost among them, the resignation of the Cabinet that Mr. Mubarak had appointed before his downfall, as well as the dismantling of the security apparatus. — New York Times News Service
