(26 Aug 2005) SHOTLIST
Sadr City, Baghdad
1. Demonstrators running carrying Iraqi flags, pictures of cleric Muqtada al Sadr and banners
2. Demonstrators carrying banners chanting
3. Truck carrying picture of Muqtada al Sadr and his dead father Mohamed al Sadr
4. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Abdul Hadi al Daraji, spokesman for radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr:
"Where is the government? We entirely blame the Iraqi government for the shortage in services. We''ve given them time to improve the services but they broke their promise, and we are suffering this shortage, and it''s all down to the occupation."
5. Demonstrators carrying banners
Kadhemyah neighbourhood, Baghdad
6. Protest with clerics at the front
7. Protesters filing past
8. Protesters with Kadhum shrine at the background
9. Overhead shot of group of women in the protest
Unknown area in Fallujah
10. UPSOUND (Arabic) Masked man surrounded by other masked and armed men, reading statement from piece of paper
"We the Mujahadeen of Anbar and Fallujah salute the heroic stand of Mr Muqtada al Sadr against the enemies of Allah and his prophet and vow to Allah and to his prophet to stand strong as the the Mujahadeen to strike the occupation in all its shapes. And we say to Mr Muqtada al Sadr that our land is yours, our blood is yours and honour is yours, we will strike with an iron fist all who collaborate with the Americans and the Persians to treat our land with irreverence."
Basra
11. Head of demonstration with large banner
12. Demonstrators carrying banner reads (we put the blame on the occupation and the Iraqi government in shortage of public service)
13. Demonstrators
14. Women in black veils
Kut
15. Demonstrators chanting pro-Muqtada slogans
16. Women wearing black veil in the demo
17. Women heading to a congregation of people and flags
18. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Muzafar al Musawi, spokesman for Muqtada al Sadr in Kut:
"There''s still a shortage in public services despite the country being rich with treasures and wealth."
19. Demonstrators standing, carrying banners
20. Flags and demonstrators chanting pro Muqtada slogans
Baqouba
21. Demonstrators with banners and flags chanting pro-Saddam slogans
22. Mid shot of protester chanting, pan to young man carrying small photo of Saddam
23. Rear shot of protesters walking
24. More of chanting demonstrators
STORYLINE
Followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr staged demonstrations across central and southern Iraq on Friday against proposals to establish a federal state and to demand better public services from local governments, many of them dominated by their Shiite rivals.
Protests were held in cities such as Kut, Amarah, Najaf and Basra, as well as the capital.
In Baghdad''s Sadr city, thousands of Shiites attended a rally.
A spokesman for the radical cleric, Abdul Hadi al Daraji, blamed the government for not improving people''s access to services, despite the amount of time they had been given to do so.
At the same time in Kadhemyah neighbourhood, hundreds more Shiite demonstrators led by clerics, took to the streets after Friday prayers.
Meanwhile, militant supporters of Al Sadr in Fallujah gathered and one of them read a statement condemning the occupation and praising Al Sadr.
In Basra, hundreds of Al Sadr supporters including women marched in support of the radical cleric.
In Kut, clerics led a demonstration of pro Sadr supporters to a rally.
Sunnis also held demonstrations on Friday as the government failed to come to an agreement on the constitution.
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