Regardless of the nature of escalatory steps planned ahead by anti-government protesters and activists in Iraq, political observers deemed the roadblocks set up and which crippled the movement in Baghdad and some districts, a "partial success."
Protesters managed to rattle the state and its institutions, which suffered a clear absence of a large number of employees.
Finance Ministry worker Haidar Mohammed told Asharq Al-Awsat that the rate of employee turnout barely touched 40 percent.
“Some employees strongly refuse to skip work, while quite a few others are sympathetic towards the strike calls but fear administrative punishment,” he said.
“The strike was partially successful in Rusafa city areas, but other Baghdad districts witnessed a complete absence of public staff workers. Some parties also incited staff and school administrations into not opening and joining the strike instead,” Mohammed added.
Meanwhile, government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi reaffirmed the people’s right to peacefully protest, but said that the government cannot back anything that harms public interest, referring to the roadblocks and shutdown of some public sector offices and schools.
“There are instructions to security forces to respect the right to peaceful demonstration and to allow peaceful protesters to express their opinion, within the mechanisms provided for in the constitution,” Hadithi said, adding that security forces were also informed to stop any effort to block main roads or disrupt public livelihood.
Activist and university professor Setar Awwad said that the roadblocks are what made the protest partially successful.
“The strike was partially successful after the protesters cut off the roads… the intention was to block public sector staffers from reaching their offices and then reopening roads,” Awwad said.
