Iraqi security forces shot dead three protesters and wounded 19 when they dispersed a violent demonstration outside the Iranian Consulate in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, police officials said Monday.
Iraq has seen mass protests in the capital and across the mostly Shiite south in recent days that are fueled by economic grievances and directed at the government and powerful political parties.
The protesters have increasingly directed their anger at Iran, which has close ties to the government, Shiite political factions and paramilitary groups.
On Sunday night, dozens of Iraqi protesters set tires ablaze in Karbala and attacked the Iranian Consulate, scaling the concrete barriers ringing the building as other lobbed firebombs over the walls.
They tried to bring down the Iranian flag and replace it with the Iraqi one but could not reach it. They then placed an Iraqi flag on the wall around the consulate.
Dozens of protesters chanted "the people want the fall of the regime," one of the main slogans of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.
Iraqi security officials said three protesters were shot and killed while 19 were wounded. Seven policemen were also wounded, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Iraq's Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on the consulate, saying the security of diplomatic missions was a "red line that should not be crossed."
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