Anti-government protesters have recently promoted a new round of demonstrations against the regime to set the stage for the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.
Activists launched the hashtag #WePromiseTheRevolutionWillReturn and established cyber groups on social media, especially Facebook, pledging to resume their protests once the fight against the COVID-19 disease is over.
The “We Promise The Revolution Will Return” group on Facebook received more than 32,000 likes in less than a week, along with other groups such as “Support The Revolution, We Are Returning to The Squares, I Am Going to Take Back My Right,” which also received support and likes.
The spread of the coronavirus has shocked activists who had put all their faith in the possibility of radical political change that started with the October revolution.
To overcome this shock, the protest movement’s groups have worked on renewing their hopes in future rallies by spreading photos and videos of the events and victims of the demonstrations.
Some features of the protests are still apparent on the streets, as the tents of demonstrators in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square and other squares remain erected. A few protesters remain in the tents in a clear sign that they stick to their demands.
Through the new campaigns, activists are discussing ways to overcome past mistakes, including there being no unified leadership, in addition to stopping certain groups, which have short-sighted political aims, from taking advantage of them.
Activist Hassan Abdulkarim says “the movement’s groups are looking to establish more than one scenario for the coming phase.”
“Overthrowing the regime is not easy. We’ve had thousands of victims in the past months and we need to be more careful in the coming stage. However, we insist on continuing (our protests), and have launched the hashtag for that purpose.”
He tells Asharq Al-Awsat that “a possible scenario is presenting our demands to Prime Minister-designate Mustafa al-Kazimi in case he forms a government, and see what he would do with them”.
Abdulkarim, a higher education student at the College of Management and Economy at Al-Mustansiriya University, had to delay the requirements for graduating with a Master's degree six months ago and joined the movement.
“Since that day, I have not seen my family and I am still in Tahrir Square, despite the curfew and the risks of the coronavirus. I will not abandon my dream of a nation that suits us and provides us with a dignified life,” he says.
On the details of daily life in Tahrir Square under the imposed curfew, he says, “there are around one thousand people in the square. Some tents have more than ten tenants while others have less.”
Protesters don’t leave their tents except for vital needs, he tells Asharq Al-Awsat. “We are practicing social isolation. We are wearing gloves and masks, and when we assemble we do not shake hands.”
