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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Security forces used tear gas and rubber bullets on Tuesday as thousands of university students stormed the streets of Sulaimani for the third day in a row calling on the government to reinstate their student allowances, which have been cut since 2014.
The students initially blocked the main Kirkuk-Sulaimani road before heading towards the center of the city, where they were faced with a significant number of security forces.
Just meters away from the headquarters of Sulaimani's ruling party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), located in the city’s Salim street, the protesting students were confronted by an extra number of security forces firing rubber bullets, teargas, and using water cannons to stop them from proceeding further.
Rudaw video footage showed protesting students responding to security forces with stones, and a few students picking up teargas canisters and throwing them back at the forces.
The Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) told Rudaw English that protestors were heading to the city center when they were confronted by security forces.
“There was extensive use of tear gas and water cannons, many students were falling on the ground and were affected by the gas, two of our team members were also affected by the gas,” Mohammed Salih from CPT said.
Salih added that students were dispersed by force and with security vehicles patrolling the area, and that a green colored gas was used against the protestors.
A protesting student spoke to Rudaw English on the condition of anonymity and said that students were insistent on remaining peaceful in their protests.
Video footage on social media showed what appeared to be smoke rising from the PUK headquarters.
“I doubt that students did that, students were being pushed back, I believe this is their own plan to later blame it on students,” the student said.
Protests spread to other cities in the Region on Tuesday, with students from Halabja, Kalar, Koya, and Erbil taking to the streets.
“We spoke to the head of Garmian University and they told us to take a few representatives there, but we will not go, we are asking the head of the university to come here,” a student from Kalar told Rudaw.
“Previously, the fight against Islamic State (ISIS) and financial crisis was used as an excuse to stop allowances, but now there are no excuses left,” another student protesting in Erbil said. “Students are in a bad financial situation, while the allowance is a small amount of money, but it is a good support for students.”
The government used to pay a monthly allowance of 60,000 to 100,000 dinars per student. This was one of the expenses the government cut when it introduced austerity measures like salary cuts to cope with the financial crisis caused by the war with ISIS, low oil prices, and budget disputes with Baghdad.
Students in Sulaimani were confronted with force on Monday as well, with riot police using tear gas and electric batons.
Several political parties in the Kurdistan Parliament on Tuesday condemned the use of force against protestors in separate statements.
Sulaimani police on Monday said some of the protesters were not students and blamed them for instigating violence. "They started throwing stones at civil forces and attacking them with brass knuckles and as a result, conflict and confusion was created. Some officers and students were injured with sticks and stones,” the police said in a statement published on Facebook.
The governor of Sulaimani on Monday expressed his support for the students’ demands and called for calm.
The ministry of finance said that the decision to suspend the allowances was taken through the council of ministers and that it is the responsibility of the ministry of higher education.
This is not the first time Sulaimani students have protested. In March, grade 12 students gathered in front of the education directorate calling for education reforms. Security forces fired live ammunition into the air to disperse the demonstrators.
Last December, teachers and other civil servants protested to demand the full payment of their salaries that had been slashed under austerity measures. They had not been paid in full or on time for most of the year.
Large protests took place in numerous towns in Halabja and Sulaimani provinces. Eight civilians and two Peshmerga were killed.
Updated at 2:18pm
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