Protesters storm Iran consulate in Karbala

Dozens of Iraqi demonstrators stormed the Iranian consulate in Karbala yesterday, lowering the flag and burning part of the outer wall. The incident followed another day of widespread demonstrations in Baghdad and the country’s south.

Staff at the consulate escaped through the back door, sources were quoted by the media. Earlier, Iraqi protesters blocked roads in Baghdad to raise pressure on the government to resign after more than a week of renewed mass demonstrations.

Protesters blocked one road with burning tires and barbed wire, and held up a banner reading “Roads closed by order of the people,” AP reported. They appeared to be borrowing a tactic from Lebanon, where similar anti-government demonstrations have been underway since Oct 17, and where protesters have repeatedly blocked major roads.

Tens of thousands of protesters have gathered in Baghdad’s central Tahrir Square and across southern Iraq in recent days, calling for the overhaul of the political system established after the 2003 US-led invasion. Protesters have also taken over a large tower in the square that was abandoned after it was damaged in the war.