Iraqi students joined anti-government protests in Baghdad on Sunday, ramping up the street pressure on Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi who also faced a sit-in and the first resignations from parliament.

The capital and country's south have been rocked by a second wave of demonstrations since Thursday, with protesters digging in despite tear gas, curfews and violence that has left more than 70 dead.

About a dozen schools and universities decided to shut their doors, activists said Sunday, with some protesting on campus and others heading towards the main gathering spaces for rallies.

In the emblematic Tahrir Square, young girls in school uniforms with rucksacks were seen trekking through streets littered with tear gas canisters.

Later in the day, a spokesman for the prime minister threatened that any further disruption to schools would earn protesters "severe punishment."

Protesters clung onto Tahrir throughout the day, defying heavy tear gas use and pledging to "weed out" the political class.

"We're here to bring down the whole government -- to weed them all out!" one protester said, the Iraqi tricolour wrapped around his head.

The protests are unprecedented in recent Iraqi history for their ire at the entire political class, including Abdel Mahdi, parliament speaker Mohammed Al-Halbussi and even traditionally revered religious leaders.

They have also been exceptionally violent, with 157 dead in the first set of rallies and 74 dead in the latest round.

"We don't want a single one of them. Not Halbussi, not Abdel Mahdi. We want to bring down the regime," the protester said.

- First MPs resign -

Renewed protests also flooded the streets of Najaf, Hilla, Karbala and Diwaniyah in the south.

In the oil-rich port city of Basra, police enforced a strict curfew and said it arrested "saboteurs" who had infiltrated the protesters.

This week's demonstrations are the sequel to six days of anti-government rallies that erupted October 1.

Sparked by outrage at corruption, unemployment and poor services, they evolved into demands for an overhaul of the political system and a new constitution.

On Sunday, Iraqi President Barham Saleh met with the United Nations' top representative in the country Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert to discuss electoral reform and amendments to the constitution, which dates back to 2005.

Abdel Mahdi has also proposed a laundry list of reforms including hiring drives, increased pensions and promises to root out corruption.

Oil-rich Iraq is the OPEC oil cartel's second biggest producer, but one in five people live in poverty and youth unemployment stands at 25 percent, according to the World Bank.

Beyond the street, Abdel Mahdi also faces new pressure from parliament, with four MPs resigning and the largest bloc holding an open-ended sit-in since Saturday night.

Parliament's only two Communist MPs and two lawmakers linked to former premier Haider al-Abadi announced they were stepping down late Sunday.

"We are resigning because of the protests and the way they were repressed," Communist lawmaker Raed Fahmy told AFP.

The Iraqi Communist Party had allied with firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in the 2018 elections to form Saeroon, which on Saturday began a sit-in to back protests.

The move has left Abdel Mahdi more squeezed than ever, as Saeroon was one of the two main sponsors of his government.

- Sadr speaks -

The other was Fatah, the political arm of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force which said it would continue to back the central government.

The one-time allies now find themselves on opposite sides of the protest movement.

The Hashed was founded in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group but its factions have since been ordered to incorporate into state security services.

Several of their offices have been torched in recent days in southern Iraqi cities, hinting at a new violent phase.

Dozens of protesters have died while storming or setting fire to the offices of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, the Badr Organisation and others, according to medics and police.

Hashed commanders have threatened revenge, and its second-in-command Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis said Sunday his force "is ready to stand against discord".

But Sadr answered on Sunday night in his first tweet since protests resumed this week, directly addressing the Hashed.

"Do not champion the corrupt. Do not repress the people," he warned.

The UN has warned "armed spoilers" could derail efforts at peaceful protests in Iraq, saying it was "tragic" to see renewed violence in the country.

Most of those killed since Thursday have been shot in the Shiite-majority south, but medics and protesters in the capital have reported trauma wounds from tear gas canisters.

On Sunday, security forces were positioned on the edges of Tahrir, while elite Counter-Terrorism Service troops and armoured vehicles were seen in surrounding districts.

The CTS said it had deployed its units to "protect vital infrastructure," and its forces were not seen in Tahrir.

Car horns, music as thousands defy curfew in Iraqi capital
Baghdad (AFP) Oct 28, 2019 - Honking cars and blaring music filled the streets of the Iraqi capital early Tuesday, as thousands including students kept up anti-government protests despite a curfew declared by the army.

Swathes of Iraq have been engulfed by two waves of demonstrations this month over unemployment and corruption that have evolved into demands for regime change.

The rallies have gathered despite temporary curfews, threats of arrest and violence that has left nearly 240 people dead, including five protesters killed in Baghdad on Monday.

That evening, the military said cars and foot traffic would be barred in the capital for six hours starting at midnight (2100 GMT), sparking concern security forces would storm protest camps in Baghdad.

But as the curfew came into effect, people were still streaming into Baghdad's iconic Tahrir (Liberation) Square in cars and on foot.

Three-wheeled vehicles known as tuk-tuks ferried people to Tahrir, and a cacophony of car horns from accumulating traffic could be heard from surrounding neighbourhoods.

It was the fifth consecutive night that protesters have occupied the square, clinging on despite heavy tear gas used to keep protesters from storming the Green Zone, which hosts government offices and foreign offices.

They had otherwise been allowed to set up tents in Tahrir and taken over multi-storey buildings there since Thursday in a marked departure from the response during the first week of this month.

Protests have also persisted across the country's Shiite-majority south, with night-time rallies in the holy city of Karbala spiralling into skirmishes with security forces.

- Syndicates on strike -

Protesters have been joined by a huge contingent of students, who joined despite stern warnings by the higher education minister and the prime minister's office that they should "stay away."

"No school, no classes, until the regime collapses!" boycotting students shouted on Monday in Diwaniyah, south of the capital.

Other student protests gathered in the southern cities of Nasiriyah, Hillah and Basra -- and even the holy city of Najaf.

The national teachers' syndicate announced a four-day strike and the lawyers' union also told its members to boycott the courts for several days.

"Qusay al-Suhail (the higher education minister) said not to come down into the streets. But we say: no nation, no class!" one student protester said.

"All we want is for the government to immediately submit its resignation. Either it resigns, or it gets ousted."

About 60 percent of Iraq's 40-million-strong population is under the age of 25.

But youth unemployment stands at 25 percent and one in five people live below the poverty line, despite the vast oil wealth of OPEC's second-largest crude producer.

Anger at inequality and accusations that government corruption was fuelling it sparked protests in Baghdad on October 1 that have since attracted growing numbers of young people.

On Monday, a small group of students brought kits to Tahrir Square to treat people affected by tear gas along with cans of Pepsi -- believed to alleviate discomfort when splashed on the face.

"It's my first day at the protests. I told my mom I'm going to class, but I came here instead!" a girl with curly hair told AFP.

The protests are unprecedented in recent Iraqi history for their ire at the entire political class, with some even criticising traditionally revered religious leaders.

- Parliamentary paralysis -

On Monday, Iraq's parliament voted to dissolve the provincial councils, cancel the extra privileges of top officials and summon embattled Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi for questioning.

Abdel Mahdi has proposed a laundry list of reforms, including hiring drives, increased pensions and promises to root out corruption.

President Barham Saleh has also held discussions with the UN on electoral reform and amendments to the 2005 constitution, but they have not appeased protesters.

In solidarity with demonstrators, four lawmakers resigned late on Sunday, and the largest parliamentary bloc has been holding an open-ended sit-in since Saturday night.

Saeroon, the bloc tied to firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr, said it was dropping its support for Abdel Mahdi.

The move has left the premier more squeezed than ever, as Saeroon was one of the two main sponsors of his government.

The other was Fatah, the political arm of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force, which has said it would continue to back the central government.

Several Hashed offices have been torched in recent days in southern Iraq, prompting vows of "revenge" from its leaders.

Sadr responded Sunday, warning them: "Do not champion the corrupt. Do not repress the people."

North of Baghdad late Monday, two mortar rounds hit the military base of Taiji where US troops are deployed, a security source said.

There were no reports of damage or casualties, and the attack was not claimed.

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More than 60 dead as Iraq protests take new violent turn
Baghdad (AFP) Oct 26, 2019
More than 60 people have died in renewed anti-government protests across Iraq, officials said Saturday, with clashes breaking out as demonstrators turned their fury against government and paramilitary offices. The death toll from protests this month has soared to 220, including dozens killed since Friday as they torched government buildings or offices belonging to factions of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force. The demonstrations first erupted on October 1, with protesters railing against ... read more