List of 15 countries witnessing angry protests
On various continents, many countries are witnessing angry protests on Sunday, most demanding better economic conditions and jobs for youth and political reforms conducive to the renewal of the ruling elites.
The following is a list of the most prominent countries witnessing the demonstrations:
1.Iran
Protests against rising fuel prices continued for the third day in a row, and a policeman was reportedly killed during violent demonstrations in the west of the country.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that “acts of sabotage and arson are carried out by rioters, not our people. Counter-revolution and Iran’s enemies always support acts of sabotage and insecurity and continue to do so.”
Over the past two days, demonstrations have erupted in many areas across Iran over rising fuel prices, with deaths and injuries reported.
2. Lebanon
In Lebanon, protesters staged a sit-in in a number of areas at the invitation of groups of the popular movement under the title “One of the Martyrs”.
The call came on the occasion of a month since the protests began. Protesters demanded the formation of an independent government, early parliamentary elections, and activation of the judiciary to hold those accused of corruption accountable.
3.Iraq
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqis poured into the streets of Baghdad and several southern cities on Sunday, as the country went on a general strike that restored momentum to weeks of protest to demand the “overthrow of the regime.”
The sit-ins became a weekly tactic, followed by protests that began on October 1 to demand anti-corruption, job creation and a change in the ruling political class.
Protesters face daily attempts by security forces to repel them, and thousands took to the streets on Sunday after calls from activists for a general strike.
Work stopped in most cities in southern Iraq from Basra to Kut, Najaf, Diwaniyah, Hilla, and Nasiriyah, where government departments and schools were closed.
4. Algeria
Protesters in several Algerian cities turned out to reject the presidential election campaign, which began on Sunday, scheduled for December 12, while the country witnessed security alert in case of any unrest.
The demonstrators considered that the current circumstances are not suitable for the holding of elections, and called for the completion of accounting procedures and the removal of symbols of the regime of Abdelaziz Bouteflika from power and participation in any electoral benefit.
Since February 2019, Algerians have been demonstrating every Friday, demanding the prosecution of the spoilers and the removal of symbols of the Bouteflika era.
5. Georgia
In the center of the Georgian capital Tbilisi, about 20,000 people rallied on Sunday against the current government, demanding early parliamentary elections.
The protests came days after parliament failed to pass proposed amendments to the electoral law, and protesters vowed to overthrow the government.
6.Greece
In the Greek capital Athens, a march in the center of the city on Sunday evening to commemorate the student uprising, which was put down by the authorities in 1973, which contributed to the overthrow of the military regime that governed the country.
The march is organized annually and often serves as a springboard for protests against government policies and austerity measures taken in recent years after a decade-long debt crisis.
Police deployed more than 5,000 police on the streets of Athens on Sunday, and helicopters hovered over Syntagma Square in the city center and surrounding neighborhoods during the day.
The march will end at the US embassy, where protesters resent Washington’s support for military dictatorship between 1967 and 1974.
7.Venezuela
In Venezuela, the momentum of protests returned to the forefront after thousands rallied Saturday in Caracas against President Nicolas Maduro.
The demonstrations came at the invitation of opposition leader Juan Guaido, who launched a large-scale protest movement in January, when he announced that the constitution allowed him to temporarily assume the post of president, declaring that Maduro had succeeded in fraud in the 2018 elections.
8. Hong Kong
Hundreds of activists on Sunday holed up at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus to defend it from any attempt to control it by police and continue to cut off the Cross Harbor Tunnel, which has been closed since Tuesday.
In the afternoon, black-clad protesters threw Molotov cocktails at police hoses to disperse them, forcing an armored vehicle to retreat.
Student demonstrators insist on continuing to occupy the campus of Cologne University of Applied Sciences.
Five months ago, the city has seen angry protests against the Chinese central government in Beijing, accusing it of seeking to curtail freedoms in the city, a British colony until 1997.
9.Czech Republic
Calls continue to be made to improve the economic situation and reject the historic agreement between the political parties in Parliament on the organization of a referendum on the Constitution.
On Saturday evening, about a quarter of a million people took to the streets demanding the resignation of Prime Minister and businessman Andrey Babys, where they believe there is a conflict of interest between being a businessman and his job as prime minister.
The protesters refused to focus on the constitution issue and stressed that there were more pressing issues such as retirement and education.
10. Spain
Renewed protests calling for Catalonia’s secession from Spain. On Saturday evening, protesters flocked to Barcelona’s main station Sants, some of them taking part in a sit-in, as a few of them entered skirmishes with police.
The protest came in response to a call by a pro-secessionist group known as CDR.
11.France
The “Zero Jackets” activists returned to the streets on Sunday after clashes in Paris that marked the first anniversary of the social movement.
On Saturday, police announced the arrest of 105 people in the capital Paris during demonstrations of the first anniversary of the protests of yellow jackets.
Police chief Didier Laliment said police had contained demonstrations in Piazza Italia.
He pointed out that the police and fire crews were subjected to systematic attacks, calling on the demonstrators to leave the squares and end the protests.
Sunday marks the first anniversary of the “yellow jackets” protests that began in the country and spread to European and Arab countries, to denounce the social and economic policies of governments.
12.Netherlands
Several Dutch cities witnessed on Saturday evening demonstrations organized by activists against racism, xenophobia and Muslims amid a heavy police presence, a day after three mosques were attacked.
Police arrested the head of the Dutch branch of the anti-Muslim Pegida movement in Europe.
13.Bolivia Clashes between supporters of former President Evo Morales and police have been taking place since right-wing lawmaker Janine Agnese took power in the country on Tuesday.
The death toll in the political crisis rose to 23, according to the Washington-based Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which said it had also counted at least 122 wounded since Friday.
On Saturday, thousands of farmers tried to march through the city of Cochabamba and even the capital, La Paz, to support ousted President Evo Morales, who is in exile in Mexico.
14.Mali
In the capital, Bamako, 15,000 people demonstrated on Friday to support the army and demand the means for it, and to hold those involved in wasting money.
“No to waste our money, the armed forces live.” The opposition says the army is being betrayed and the government is providing it with weak mechanisms that make it prey to armed movements operating in the north of the country.
More recently, these movements have launched attacks against the armed forces, resulting in the deaths of 100 soldiers and wounded.
15.Guinea
In Guinea, protests against President Alpha Conde’s intention to amend the constitution continue to allow him to run for a third term after his second commission expires next year.
It was reported yesterday that three people were killed in anti-government demonstrations. Opposition leaders say security forces have killed at least 17 people since mid-October.
Source: Agencies