BAGHDAH – On the night of March 27, Naif Kurdistan of the PDK posted a message on his Twitter account; “We are with the Arabs, not the Indians, the Persians and the Afghans.”
A message from a KDP member was met with outrage, with supporters of Iraqi Shi’ite leader Ali al-Sistani in Baghdad in the night of 28th of March, urging people to take to the streets on social media. Shortly afterwards, KDP member Naif Kurdistan apologized to Ali Sistani, but was unable to prevent any protests. The KDP later issued a statement declaring that Naif had no ties to the party.
That same night, dozens of supporters of Ali al-Sistani took to the streets chanting “Leader is the crown of us all.”
Dozens of people gathered in front of the 5th branch of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK) in Baghdad and set the building on fire.
Dissatisfaction with the KDP member’s message is growing. Dozens of Sistani supporters have gathered in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square to protest. The demonstrators removed pictures of KDP leader Massoud Barzani and KDP candidate for the Iraqi presidency, Ahmed, and drew a red line.
Protesters chanted slogans rejecting KDP candidate Leader Ahmed.
It is worth mentioning that Dr. Naif Gergeri, also known as Naif Kurdistani, is a senior member of the KDP and was a member of the conciliation board of Sedir, Helbusi and the KDP. He was also the candidate for the Nineveh region in the 2018 elections.
