Protestors storm Iraqi parliament, breaking down walls and cursing Iran (video)

Hundreds of demonstrators stormed the highly secured parliament in Baghdad's Green Zone today, scaling and breaking down gates and a cement wall to get inside (see videos below). Unlike the U.S. Capitol insurrection, however, no lawmakers were inside the parliament building at the time, according to NBC News, but security guards โ€” some who seemed to let them right in โ€” were present. Riot police were also present, shooting water cannons at those who were breaking down walls.

From NBC:

Hundreds of Iraqi demonstrators breached Baghdad's parliament Wednesday, chanting curses against Iran, in a protest against the selection of a nominee for prime minister by Iran-backed parties. …

The breach came amid the biggest protest since Iraqi elections were held in October. The demonstrators were protesting the recent nomination of Mohammed al-Sudani as the official nominee of the Coordination Framework bloc, a coalition led by Iran-backed Shiite parties and their allies.

Earlier Wednesday, demonstrators, many among them the followers of an influential cleric, breached Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone to protest the selection of a nominee for prime minister by Iran-backed parties.

Riot police used water cannons to repel demonstrators pulling down cement blast walls. But many breached the gates to the area, which houses government buildings and foreign embassies.

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