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On Saturday night, a serious incident occurred in Baghdad, when hundreds of angry protesters stormed and burned the office of the Saudi TV channel MBC. According to the Iraqi newspaper Shafaq and information published by Israel’s Channel 9, 400 to 500 people took part in the protest.
Reasons for the protest
The cause of the riots was a report by the TV channel, in which journalists called Yahya Sinuar, the leader of Hamas who was killed by the Israeli military, a terrorist. The programme also negatively referred to the former secretary general of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, which caused outrage among many Shiites in Iraq.
Consequences of the pogrom
The protesters broke into the TV channel’s office, destroyed equipment and documents, and then set fire to the premises. The police, who quickly arrived at the scene, were able to extinguish the fire and disperse the crowd, but the damage was significant.
Government response
Following the pogrom, Iraqi MP Mustafa Sanad said that the “problem” of MBC could not be solved by violence alone. He warned of the possible revocation of the broadcasting licence in case of further “incompatible activities” of the TV channel, stating: “There is no place for it in Iraq”.
Hamas statement
Hamas also condemned the channel’s actions. In its statement, the group called the report on Sinuar “obscurantist” and accused MBC employees of supporting “Zionist propaganda”.
