On 21^st February 2011, Maliki’s thugs attacked protesters sleeping in Freedom Marquees at Altahrir Square in Baghdad with knives and machetes before the eyes of the National Guard, killing one and injuring five.

Following this brutal attack the Committee of the Mass Protests in Iraq stalled a new tent in Altahrir Square with the participation of tens of protesters. However the National Guard this time destroyed the tent. Eye witnesses reported that the attack was led by a general called Abass from the Maliki’s office. Following this attack, the protestors changed their slogan from “The people want to reform the regime” to “The people want to overthrow the regime”.

On 23rd February 2011, an increasing number of people attended Altaharir Square and expressed their anger against the attack by Maliki’s thugs. Members of the Committee of the Mass Protests in Iraq apprehended a person who was attending Altahrir Square to take photos and disappearing suddenly. When he was questioned he admitted the leader of the military force in the area sent him. He was then taken away by people alleging to be from security forces. The government forces arrested several people from the nearby Batawin neighbourhood in order to terrorise the residents and prevent them from participating.

Copies of the Uprising Dairy, the paper published by the Committee of the Mass Protests in Iraq were widely distributed among demonstrators who asked for their regular share of copies to distribute in their neighbourhoods.

On 24^th February 2011, the government prevented vehicles from entering Bagdad under the pretext of protecting demonstrators. However the real reason behind this ban was to prevent demonstrators from other cities getting to Baghdad. This is the same policy adopted by the Mubarak regime in Egypt, prior to its fall. The governmental forces also put barriers in many parts of Baghdad to stop traffic and blocked many streets to pedestrians.

Despite this, over 1000 demonstrators managed to gather in Altahrir Square on 24^th February 2011. During the night a riot force raided the offices of the SANA satellite TV of the Iraq Freedom Congress, Journalistic Freedoms Observatory and Ayen Centre confiscating computers and documents and destroying the contents.

Throughout the day the government continued to warn, threaten, arrest and terrorise the masses. They continued to spread rumours including that the government and demonstrators held negotiations and agreed on everything and therefore the demonstration scheduled on 25^th February 2011 was cancelled. The government also attempt to spread rumours that armed thugs will infiltrate into the demonstrations.  However the Committee of the Mass Protests in Iraq distributed the Uprising Dairy, which called on the masses to participate in demonstrations of 25^th February. Demonstrators at Altahrir shouted slogans calling for participation in all cases. A group of women attended and brought food and water to the demonstrators, a step which boosted morale.

The government warned all photocopy and printings shops from helping the Upraising Dairy or printing any of the demands of the mass protests. Indeed issue number 3 faced many hardships with printing. However a shop owner volunteered to print it and then many people helped with photocopying.

In Kirkuk, the security Forces spread rumours that they would impose a curfew on Thursday 25^th February 2011 from 4 Pm. They also increased security patrols in the city to terrify the population and prevent people from participating in demonstrations. Members of the Iraqi parliament from Kirkuk including Khalid Shwani, Najmadeen Hassan and Layla Hassan held many public meetings promising citizens to meet their demands on the condition that they refrain from participating in the demonstrations. The manager of the North Oil Company met with the casual workers and promised to offer them permanent contracts.

In Tikrit, Mahmood Khalisi an activist organizing demonstration of 25^th February 2011 was kept behind bars despite a court order to release him. Mahmood was arrested during the night after applying for permit with the council in the province to organize the demonstration of 25^th February 2011.  The so-called riot forces also publicly threatened people who were active in organizing demonstrations.

In the early hours of 25^th February 2011, the armoured vehicles surrounded all entries to Altahrir Square. Vehicles of the security forces roamed Alshoala and Althawra districts asking the masses not to participate in the demonstrations. The so called Support Councils, the pro-USA Sunni militia distributed a statement in Alaathamyia and Sulegh asking people not to participate.

This campaign was preceded by Maliki’s speech which claimed that Saddamists, terrorists and Al-Qaeda stood behind the demonstration of 25^th of February. An atmosphere of fear dominated the city. At 7.30 AM a large number of people from various parts of Baghdad decided to walk to Altahrir Square to participate in the demonstrations as all type of vehicles, motorbikes and push bikes were banned. However people from many suburbs like Alhuryia, Aadil, Kamlia , Saafarnia and Dora were prevented from walking to the demonstration. Despite all that, over 50000 people gathered in the square.

At Altahrir Square demonstrators formed groups to control entering points to Alktahrir carrying out body checks on people. Generally demonstrators were happy and full of hope. They raised many demands, shouted slogans and evolutionary songs were sung. Women participated widely in this demonstration, which made it unique in comparison to all other demonstrations. Therefore this day was called the day of the birth of a new Iraq. New Iraq is a term heavily used by the rulers and the mainstream media to describe Iraq post 2003 war.

Under pressure from Maliki some members of the Parliament like Sabah Alsaidi and Maha Aldori attended in order to negotiate with demonstrator, but they were pelted with shoes. The leader of Alrasfi forces also attended to the demonstration but he too was attacked with shoes and was forced to immediately leave. The Committee of Mass Protests in Iraq tried to provide demonstrators with food but the security forces prevented them from doing so.

Seven people were detained at Altahrir square including Alaa Nabil Salih and Albaghdadia TV reporter Vinos Suheil. The National Guard also beat up the cameraman of Reuters and destroyed his camera. The authorities prevented the media from covering the events.

In the afternoon, the governmental forces attacked the protesters with water Cannons, noise bombs and then live ammunition killing several and injuring a number of them. Demonstrators were also killed in Mosul, Tikrit, Basra, Samraa, Haweja and Suleimanya in addition to a large number of wounded people.

Military vehicles chased demonstrators on the streets of nearby suburbs like Batawin, Kifah Street and Sheikh Omar and on many occasions opened fire on them injuring many of them including Qasim Shanoon, Walaa Abdul wahab and Mohammad Rasul.  There would have been much more causalities if it was not for the residents who opened their houses to the demonstrators.

Kirkuk, which is one of the richest cities in the world, yet is one of the worse cities in Iraq in regard to services and the levels of public deprivation.

Against what the Kurdish, Arab and Turkmens ethno-centrists preach, the city showed on 25^th February 2011 that it’s residents are united behind one demand, the demand of security, bread and freedom.

The members of city Council from the Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens fight each other on seats in parliament and their share of power and corruption over 8 years, however they were united against the demonstration of 25^th February because achieving the demands of this demonstration means they lose their privileges. The city council walked in the path of Maliki in terrorising the demonstrators and trying to thwart the protests. Fear dominated and many people stood away in the beginning watching the demonstration to see what would happen. The organizers of the demonstration, the Solidarity Committee, is a part of the Committee of Mass Protests in Iraq were anxious about losing lives as the result of recklessness of the authority. After a few hours the numbers rose to 3000 demonstrators as gradually the fear disappeared. The demonstrators tried to occupy the building of the Governorate but the police opened fire in air. The city council was forced to ask for negations with the representatives of the demonstrators. There was a meeting between the two sides, but the representatives left the meeting in protest. The governor asked for another meeting the following Sunday.

On 25^th February thousands of residents of Samraa city organized a sit-in in protest against the city council and against the Samraa Operation Command. The sit-in continued for hours until the security forces opened fire on demonstrators injuring several of them. The forces also launched a wide campaign of arrest and announced a curfew. Four were also killed in Tikrit and dozens were injured.

Maliki and the Health Minister, Ali Aldabagh admitted that the demonstrations were peaceful and indeed the demonstrators were very civilized and disciplined. Therefore the  Committee of Mass Protests in Iraq added the following demands to the list of demands previously raised and vowed to continue the peaceful demonstrations until all its demands were met.

 That Maliki formally apologise to the demonstrators, dissolved the Baghdad Operations Command, brought security officials responsible for the crimes committed in Mosul, Basra, Tikrit, Dewanyia, Samraah against the demonstrators to justice. That it compensated the families of causalities and the wounded people materially and morally, stopped the arrest campaign against the demonstrators, immediately released those arrested on the eve, during and after the demonstrations of 25^th February 2011.

On 29^th February 2011 the Committee of the Mass Protests in Iraq held a meeting with many groups for dialogue, coordination and building of a united front for the entire Iraq. The meeting agreed on the demands raised by the Committee of the Mass Protests in Iraq: Security, Bread and Freedom and on the policy it adopted.  The meeting also agreed to establish committees in neighbourhoods, companies and universities and to end the spontaneity that dominates the demonstrations. It was also agreed upon to call the committee, which represents all forces and groups- The Popular Committee for the Rights of the Masses.

A new committee was formed in Aldora district in Bagdad. This was in response to a call from the Committee of the Mass Protests in Iraq to establish committees everywhere to organize the protests and organize the ranks of the mass in struggle of their demands. A student Committee was also established that day at the University of Mustansyria in Baghdad after members of the Committee of the Mass Protests met students. After wide discussions, the meeting agreed on forming regional committees and on the participation of students and the youth in decision making and representing them in any negotiation with other parties.

On the other hand the campaign of arresting demonstrators including injured people in hospitals and journalists continued. 

On 2^nd of March 2011 members of the Committee of the Mass Protests in Iraq met with representatives of artists of the National Theatre. The meeting agreed to coordinate and work on continuing the protests and demonstrations in coming days. It was agreed to raise common demands, the top one being to end torture in prisons. They also announced that the artists would arrange different activities on the Friday 5^th March 2011 and following days like fine arts exhibitions, plays and music.

The branch of the Committee of the Mass Protests in Iraq at the General Company of mechanical Industries in the city of Alexandria presented the demands of the workers including ending corruption, holding corrupted officials responsible, wage rise, operating all factories and ending self finance policy to administration. They decide that workers would launch sit-ins and demonstrations if their demands were not met.

The Mass Protests Committee in Samraah arranged memorial services for those who were killed by the security forces on 25^th February 2011

The Communication Commission of Iraq cut off communication between the companies, which provide mobile phone services on 3^rd of March 2011 as a security measure against the March 4^th demonstrations. Since the early hours, communications between customers of ASIA CELL and ZEIN were disconnected. 

Also on 3^rd of March students of Diyala University organized a sit-in within the university against the deteriorating security situation in the city, arbitrary arrests and the lack of social services. As a result, the security forces in the city were put on high alert and a curfew was imposed on vehicles.

At the invitation of the Committee of the Mass Protests in Iraq, mass committees have been formed in the districts of Zaafaranyia, Suleigh and Aadamyia. These committees work to organize the masses in their neighbourhoods, to raise awareness, fight all forms of corruption, face any security dangers by the thugs and security forces during the escalation of protests as well as maintaining the momentum of struggle and foil the planes of the authority to spread despair and sectarianism. These committees strive to rid the masses protests of the spontaneity and prepare to replace the municipal council and to be the actual authority to run the districts and regions in different situation when municipal councils are dismissed.

On 4^th March 20011 several thousands gathered in Altahrir Square. Thousands of the youth walked long distances and destroyed concrete barriers from the poor district of Althawra to enter Altahrir Square. Security Forces closed Aljumhoryia Street to prevent demonstrators from getting to Altahrir Square. On the morning of 4^th March 2011 Alshaab checkpoint, which is the main Baghdad gate from the north closed the road. This prevented thousands of people from Huseinyia, Bob Alsham and Rashidyia from getting to Altahrir Square. The security forces also warned all hotels and hostels in districts of Batawin and Sharaa Almoshajar from accepting young costumers the day prior to the demonstration to prevent the youth from getting close to Altahrir Square and violating curfew on vehicles. A large number of riot forces and military forces were deployed around Altaharir Square on the night of 3^rd March 2011 as a pre-emptive plan to face the demonstrations of Friday 4^th of March

These forces also put barbed wire around Altahrir Square and prevented demonstrators from leaving and returning to the square to use toilets as part of a psychological war against the demonstrators. The public provided the protestors at the Altahrir Square with food and water and also many citizens made donations even though the security forces did their best to prevent food and water from getting to the square. Security forces tried to disperse the demonstrators by spreading rumours that a bomb was about to go off amid them. They put a black bag amid the demonstrators and then called on demonstrators through speakers to leave the square but the demonstration leadership was able to calm people down and expose the plot and convince the demonstrators to return to their places. The security forces also sent agents amid the demonstrators to spread various other rumours. They arrested many people trying to enter the Altahrir Square.

In the City of Samaraah Large numbers of commandos were deployed in all parts of the city, which cut off roads, prevented the movement of people between regions, banned any gathering and also threatened arrests. In Basra, despite curfews on all vehicles and blocked roads and streets to the centre of the city, about 2500 people gathered in the Alzaaim Square centre of the city and raised many of the common demands of the masses of Iraq. It is worth mentioning that protestors transcend sectarian and ethnic divisions and showed that these divisions are mere a tool in the hands of rulers to share power and justify their plunder and corruptions.

The Communication Commission of Iraq cut off communication between the companies, which provide mobile phone services on 3^rd of March 2011 as a security measure against the March 4 demonstrations. Since the early hours, communications between customers of ASIA CELL and ZEIN were disconnected. 

Also on 3^rd of March students of Diyala University organized a sit-in within the university against the deteriorating security situation in the city of Diyala, arbitrary arrests and the lack of social services. As a result, the security forces in the city have been put in high alert and a curfew was imposed on vehicles.