There have been sporadic protests throughout Iraq ever since the Arab spring began in 2010. But Iraqi government forces, trained and armed by the US, have violently suppressed them, sometimes firing into unarmed crowds. Thus, large-scale protests, like those we saw in Egypt and Tunisia, never got off the ground in Iraq.
These recent protests, however, are unique in their size and character. They focus on the prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki,
accusing him of corruption, brutal repression, and sectarianism.
Maliki's regime has military support from the US, and thus the
protesters consider it the "second face" of the occupation.
-- Ross Caputi, "Iraqi protests defy the Maliki regime and inspire hope" (Guardian).